Kfir was an Israeli-made fighter jet.
It was supposed to be succeeded by the Lavi until stupid politicians scrapped the project.
Israel could build a new fighter jet for a fraction of the cost of the American F-35.
An Israeli-made fighter based on a French design and an American engine!!
I think the Lavi died because the US Governent refused to sell the engines that were slated to power it. It was a power-play to create a situation where General Dynamics (Boeing?) could sell more F-16’s.
The Lavi was scrapped because it was running over budget, was costing hard dollars, and the Israelis could buy F-16s using the military assistance "credit dollars" from the U.S. instead of hard cash.
Ditto with the F-35, it is being purchased with "credit dollars" of U.S. military aid.