Free Republic

As The State of Israel celebrates its 70th year of independence, some key elements of its history lives on in various and exotic parts of the World. Israel, well known for its technological prowess is considered an innovative high tech superpower. One of Israel’s most famous developments of the 1970s was its “Kfir” fighter jet. The Kfir was based on plans designed by the IAF for the French company Dassault and then stolen from the French when they imposed an arms embargo on Israel following the 6 Day War. Israel Aircraft Industries in conjunction with the IAF developed and produced...

Israeli Military Industries Systems, or IMI Systems, in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries, abbreviated IAI, is close to finishing development of a new air-launched, precision-guided, high-speed weapon called Rampage that can hit targets more than 90 miles away. The announcement comes as Israel steps up its cross-border campaign against Iran and its interests in neighboring Syria, which has seen an increasing emphasis on stand-off capabilities given the complex air defense environment in that country, but the weapon could also be especially attractive to a number of foreign military forces. The two Israeli state-run companies officially unveiled the new weapon in...

While glitzy new jets like the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Russian PAK-FA capture the lion’s share of attention, most of the world’s air forces don’t need the latest and greatest toys. Often, something much more basic is more than sufficient for the purposes of most nations. A lot of air arms don’t even need or even want the latest fourth-generation fighters on the market like the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed F-16V “Viper,” Saab JAS-39 Gripen or even a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 or Su-35. Moreover, many countries simply can’t afford such...

Upgrading military aircraft – fixed wing and rotary – is a common operation performed all over the world. You take an old platform, reinforce the fuselage and wings, install some new systems and it can fly for many more years. But what Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is currently doing with its old Kfir fighter aircraft is an exception. The Kfir (Lion Cub) fighter is a single-seat multitask fighter built by IAI. The aircraft was first built for the Israeli air force (IAF). The first Kfir was delivered to the IAF in 1975, and entered into service in 1976. The fighter...

Roaring Back It is almost 40 years old, but it is perfectly fit and though many years have passed since it started its service in the IAF, the IAI "Kfir" is one of the most surprising exports of the IAI. From outside it looks almost the same, but on the inside, technology from the second decade of the 21st century is installed, making it a fighter that can do anything on the modern battlefield "It was the evening of Israel's Independence Day and high above Ben Gurion Airport a triangular winged fighter plane rolled in and performed maneuvers with grace...

IAI selling upgraded Kfir jets for $20m Israel Aerospace Industries promises very short delivery schedules for the renovated jets, which it claims are even better than fourth-generation jets. 6 August 13 17:45, Yuval Azulai Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) is trying to sell dozens of Kfir fighter jets to foreign air forces, offering a 40-year manufacturer's guarantee. The veteran jets are equipped with new avionics and powerful radars developed by IAI unit Elta Systems, diversified armaments, updated electronic warfare systems, and air-to-air refueling. IAI has told its sales reps to sell the Kfirs to Eastern European countries that...

South Africa’s restored Cheetah fighters make Ecuador debut By: Stephen Trimble Washington DC Ecuador has received 12 ex-South African Air Force Cheetah C/D fighters, ordered in late 2010, from Denel Aviation. Ecuador President Rafael Correa Delgado announced on 21 January that the entire batch of 12 fighters has arrived from South Africa. The 10 C-model and two D-model Cheetahs had been in storage since their retirement from service in South Africa four years ago. Ecuadorian officials visited South Africa in April 2009 to start negotiations, and signed a $78 million contract in December 2010. The deal also includes five years...

Pilot killed as Sri Lankan fighter jets collide COLOMBO - TWO Sri Lankan fighter jets collided in mid-air during an aerobatics training exercise on Tuesday, killing one of the pilots. The pilots from both of the Israeli-built Kfir aircraft ejected, but one of them died while being taken to hospital, a government official said. The crash occurred as the aircraft were training for 60th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lankan air force starting on Wednesday. Officials said President Mahinda Rajapakse, who was travelling in the area, visited the crash site. The Kfir plane was

PICTURE: IAI delivers Colombia's first upgraded Kfir fighter By Arie Egozi Israel Aerospace Industries has delivered the first upgraded Kfir fighters to the Colombian air force. The company was contracted in late 2007 to modernise 12 Kfirs from Colombia's air force inventory, and to provide several additional examples that had been stored at Israeli bases since the locally built type was phased out of service. Upgrade activities include equipping the aircraft with new avionics, an EL/M-2032 fire control radar from IAI subsidiary Elta Systems, and a new electronic warfare suite. The modified aircraft will be designated as Kfir C-10s or...