(TPS) Israel Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin praised Maj. A for deciding to eject from his F-16 after being hit by anti-aircraft fire, and said the spur-of-the-moment decision likely saved his life and that of his navigator.

The hospital said in a statement that the pilot’s condition has improved. The navigator, who was lightly wounded, has already been discharged.

The navigator said the decision to abandon the plane was “immediate. You realize that you have to hurry up and eject, both because of the damage to the plane and the physical injuries (that we both sustained)… (the pilot) was conscious and we coordinated the ejection between us, from the preparation, examining the seating position and pressing our arms together so we wouldn’t get hurt. We repeated the orders over the intercom and then activated the ejector seat.”