Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir

Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir. . , In the early 1960s, the Israeli Air Force was equipped with the French-built Dassault Mirage III fighter jet. The Mirage III was an excellent air-to-air fighter but lacked the ground attack capabilities required by the Israelis. At the request of the Israeli Air Force, the French designed a new version dubbed the Mirage V, but a French arms embargo in the wake of the Six-Day War (1967) halted the aircraft's delivery. Israel launched a special operation to create its own fighter. Using technical details acquired through industrial espionage, the Israelis created the Nesher, an unlicensed version of the Mirage V. The Nesher saw action in the Yom Kippur War in 1973., By 1975, Israel deployed an improved version powered by a license-built General Electric J79 jet engine, the same engine used in the American F-4 Phantom. This new aircraft was named Kfir, meaning "lion cub" in Hebrew. On June 27, 1979, the Kfir saw action near the port of Sidon in Lebanon. On that day, Kfirs, along with other F-15 Eagles, were assigned to cover an aerial attack on terrorist targets. In a dogfight with Syrian MiG-21s, five MiGs were shot down, and the Kfir registered its first and only air-to-air victory. Kfirs served in several more anti-terrorists actions and were eventually withdrawn from frontline service in 1995., Twenty-five modified Kfirs were leased to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps from 1985 to 1989, for use as "aggressor" aircraft in dissimilar air combat training. The Kfir C1 received the U.S. Navy designation F-21A. It simulated the most challenging enemies that naval aviators could expect to encounter. Six Kfirs are still in use by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, a civilian defense contractor that provides tactical adversary training to the U.S. military. Kfirs have also served in the air forces of Colombia, Ecuador and Sri Lanka., The aircraft on display is a gift of the Government of Israel to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Its tail carries the markings of the 144 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force as well as squadrons VF-43 of the U.S. Navy and VMFT-401 of the U.S. Marine Corps.,

Length: 51 feet 4 inches (15.7 m) , Wingspan: 26 feet 11 inches (8.2 m) , Height: 14 feet 11 inches (4.6 m) , Empty Weight: 16,060 pounds (7,285 kg) , Max Weight: 35,715 pounds (16,200 kg) , Top Speed: 1,516 miles (2,440 kph) , Ceiling: 58,000 feet (17,680 m) , Crew: One , Armament: Two 30mm cannons with 140 rounds each. External stations carry up to 12,730 pounds (5,774 kg) of air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-surface munitions, reconnaissance pods and fuel tanks.

, [Captions:] , A U.S. Navy F-21A Kfir from Fighter Squadron 43 (VF-43) prepares for takeoff at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada on November 21, 1986., The Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana, or FAC) operates 20 advanced Kfir C7 fighters. The Kfirs are the only advanced fighters in the FAC. Their missions include air-to-air superiority and ground attack.