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  • IAI Kfir - The Mighty Israeli Warplane Built With 'Help' From France

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    The IAI Kfir was an Israeli fighter jet developed in the 1960s after France imposed an arms embargo and refused to deliver 50 Mirage 5 jets that Israel had purchased. Using technical specifications from the Mirage 5, Israel reverse engineered the plane as the IAI Nesher and later upgraded it to the more advanced Kfir. The Kfir served as Israel's primary fighter through the 1970s but was replaced by American F-15s and F-16s in the 1980s. A few other countries also purchased the Kfir. Though effective, the Kfir is remembered more for how it was developed through espionage than its operational history.

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    The IAI Kfir was an Israeli fighter jet developed in the 1960s after France imposed an arms embargo and refused to deliver 50 Mirage 5 jets that Israel had purchased. Using technical specifications from the Mirage 5, Israel reverse engineered the plane as the IAI Nesher and later upgraded it to the more advanced Kfir. The Kfir served as Israel's primary fighter through the 1970s but was replaced by American F-15s and F-16s in the 1980s. A few other countries also purchased the Kfir. Though effective, the Kfir is remembered more for how it was developed through espionage than its operational history.

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    16 views3 pages

    IAI Kfir - The Mighty Israeli Warplane Built With 'Help' From France

    Uploaded by

    Khant Zaw Hein
    The IAI Kfir was an Israeli fighter jet developed in the 1960s after France imposed an arms embargo and refused to deliver 50 Mirage 5 jets that Israel had purchased. Using technical specifications from the Mirage 5, Israel reverse engineered the plane as the IAI Nesher and later upgraded it to the more advanced Kfir. The Kfir served as Israel's primary fighter through the 1970s but was replaced by American F-15s and F-16s in the 1980s. A few other countries also purchased the Kfir. Though effective, the Kfir is remembered more for how it was developed through espionage than its operational history.

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    Published on The National Interest (https://nationalinterest.

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    Home > IAI Kfir: The Mighty Israeli Warplane Built with 'Help' from France

    IAI Kfir: The Mighty Israeli Warplane


    Built with 'Help' from France

    December 10, 2023 Topic: military Region: Middle East Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: IAI Kfir,
    Israel, Aviation, Air Force, France, Mirage

    The Israeli Aircraft Industries IAI Kfir, or “Lion Cub,” is an all-weather


    multi-role fighter with an intriguing backstory.

    by Harrison Kass L
    The Israeli Aircraft Industries IAI Kfir, or “Lion Cub,” is an all-weather multi-
    role fighter with an intriguing backstory.

    During the 1960s, the lynchpin of the Israeli Air Force was France’s Dassault
    Mirage IIIC. At the time, Israel and France enjoyed close relations and the
    Mirage IIIC was a collaborative effort, tailored to the specific needs of Israel.
    The Mirage IIIC proved satisfactory in an air-superiority role, yet its short-range
    prohibited many ground-attack missions. The Israelis needed something more
    versatile.

    In the mid-60s, Israel prompted Dassault to begin developing the Mirage 5. The
    Mirage 5 was a modified version of the Mirage IIIC. With the Mirage 5, the
    avionics located behind the cockpit in the IIIC model was removed. The result
    was increased fuel capacity and reduced maintenance costs – basically, a fair-
    weather, ground-attack version of the Mirage III.

    The Mirage 5 is Completed But Not Delivered

    By 1968, Dassault had completed 50 Mirage 5s – which Israel had paid for. But
    the geopolitical landscape had changed markedly. France had a new president,
    Charles de Gaulle, who made a concerted effort to mend relations with the Arab
    world. Accordingly, de Gaulle retracted the French claim for Algeria. And he cut
    ties with Israel.

    The French government imposed an arms embargo against Israel in 1967; Israel
    would never receive the Mirage 5 aircraft they had purchased from Dassault.
    But Israel was desperate – they feared they would lose air superiority to
    adversaries who were coming into possession of increasingly sophisticated
    Soviet fighters – and they were resourceful.

    IAI Kfir: Israel Finds a Way to Get its Fighter Jet

    Using spies to obtain the technical specifications for both the Mirage 5’s
    airframe and engine, Israel was able to reverse engineer the Mirage 5. The
    immediate result was the IAI Nesher. Efforts to upgrade the Nesher, into a more
    capable aircraft, resulted in the Kfir. The Kfir adopted a Bedek-built General
    Electric J79 capable of providing 11,900 pounds of thrust dry, or 17,900 pounds
    of thrust with afterburners engaged. The jet’s maximum speed was 1,520 miles
    per hour; the combat range 477 miles; the service ceiling 58,010 feet; the rate of
    climb 45,900 feet per minute. For Armament, the Kfir carried two Rafael-built
    30mm DEFA 553 cannons with 140 rounds each; an assortment of unguided air-
    to-ground rockets; a variety of missiles including the AIM-9 Sidewinder, Shafrir
    AAm, Shrike ARM, and AGM-65 Maverick, and; plenty of bombs. The overall
    payload was over 6 tons.

    The Kfir entered service with the Israeli Air Force in 1975. In 1977, the Kfir
    entered combat for the first time, striking a training camp in Lebanon. And in
    1979, the Kfir recorded its only air-to-air victory, shooting down a Syrian MiG-
    21. Despite the urgency with which Israel had developed the Kfir, the jet was
    not Israel’s primary fighter jet for long.

    By the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israel had become increasingly


    dependent upon the United States for weaponry; the Israeli Air Force relied
    primarily upon the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon for air superiority roles.
    The Kfir packed up the scraps, conducting unescorted strike missions. In the
    late 90s, the Israelis began retiring their Kfir fleet.

    A few foreign customers bought the Kfir (rather than reverse engineer it!).
    Colombia, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka all still operate the Kfir. Indeed, the Kfirs
    development story is much more interesting than the jet’s operational story.

    About the Author

    Harrison Kass is a prolific writer with over 1,000 pieces posted. An attorney,
    pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, he joined the US Air Force as a Pilot
    Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison has degrees from Lake Forest

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