IAI Kfir

Summary

Description

Until the 1960s, almost all aircraft operated by Israeli aviators were of French manufacture. Fighters, bombers, transport aircraft, helicopters... almost all of them came from France, providing regular business for French industries. However, the situation changed in 1967. The embargo that followed the start of the Six-Day War in June 1967 put an end to it, and all deliveries of new aircraft were suspended. However, Israel retained the production license for the Mirage III acquired in April 1962. After simply copying the Mirage 5J and creating the IAI Nesher ("Eagle"), later renamed Dagger by the Argentine aviators, the Israelis decided to produce a more powerful derivative of the Mirage, using American supplies that arrived in large numbers from 1967 onwards. Among them were General Electric J79 turbojet engines, the same ones that were then equipping the McDonnell F-4 Phantom, and Tel Aviv managed to obtain a manufacturing license for them.

The development of the Nesher had already posed many serious technical difficulties, as the Israeli aerospace industries were then unable to successfully complete the program. This was also the case for the Kfir. Discreet French assistance, intelligence service (Mossad) efforts, and numerous trials allowed significant progress. The main difficulty at the time was modifying the Mirage's structure to accommodate the J79, which was preferred over the previously considered Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan. The J79 was indeed heavier for almost the same size, but it provided greater thrust (35% more in afterburner) and lower fuel consumption than the French Atar 9C. It was necessary to modify the engine's air supply and strengthen the structure (replacing some aluminum parts with titanium). A Mirage III BJ powered by a J79 flew in 1970, but the first Kfir prototype only took off in 1973. The initial aircraft (which were later designated Kfir C-1, with a total of 27 produced) delivered from the end of 1975 proved to be dangerous, with two of them being almost immediately destroyed due to accidents. IAI then had to add small leading-edge devices to the sides of the fighter's nose and two canard wings to the air intakes, among other modifications. Finally, the newly modified aircraft (designated Kfir C-2) provided satisfaction, and the Kfir proved itself. However, by that time, the Heyl Ha'Avir (Israeli Air Force), starting to receive extremely modern equipment, including its first F-15A/B Baz, the Kfir no longer had the same importance for air-to-air missions. Therefore, it was decided to reconfigure the produced aircraft for air-to-ground missions. To achieve this, each aircraft was equipped with five payload hardpoints dedicated to air-to-ground munitions. Once converted, the Kfir proved to be quite effective, especially in Lebanon in 1982. But being surpassed by more modern aircraft such as the F-16A/B Netz and the Douglas A-4 Ahit, the Kfir quickly became relegated to secondary missions. They were retired from active units in 1993 and from reserve units in 1996.

Paradoxically, the Kfir perhaps had more success abroad than in its country of origin and even more paradoxically, sometimes competed with its French counterparts. Indeed, many countries had acquired Dassault Mirage III or Mirage 5 aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s, and there was a promising market for their modernization. Faced with French modernization projects, IAI proposed its Kfir and managed to displace Dassault in several markets. The first export customer of the Kfir was Ecuador, which acquired ten Kfir C-2 and two TC-2 in 1982. In 1989, Colombia obtained twelve used C-2 and one TC-2. Sri Lanka, faced with the Tamil Tigers rebellion, bought five (or six) Kfir C-2 and one TC-2 in 1996, followed by several other aircraft (René J. Francilion mentions five C-7, other sources mention two C-2 and four C-7). The United States also rented 25 Kfir C-1 between 1985 and 1989: two adversary squadrons, VF-43 Challengers and VMFAT-401 Snipers, were equipped with them. These Kfir, designated as F-21A, received the leading-edge devices and canard wings of the C-2. In 2002, a private company, ATAC, rented seven C-2 and later purchased six, which it uses in contracts with the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force. Finally, the Kfir undoubtedly played a major role in the development of the South African Atlas Cheetahs, which partially incorporated its electronic equipment.

Engaged in combat in the Middle East as early as 1977, and later in South America and Sri Lanka, the Kfir is credited with two victories in aerial combat. The first, on June 27, 1979, was achieved by Captain Shai Eshel, who shot down a Syrian MiG-21. The second took place in South America during the conflict between Ecuador and Peru, known as the Cenepa War. On February 10, 1995, an Ecuadorian pilot managed to shoot down a Peruvian Cessna A-37B with an Shafrir II air-to-air missile. In Lebanon in 1982, the Kfir, protected by a pair of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and armed with bombs, were often used to destroy Syrian surface-to-air missile batteries after F-4 Phantoms had destroyed their radars using Shrike air-to-surface missiles.

Main versions:

• C-1: initial variant; the F-21A variant consists of C-1 models with the aerodynamic improvements of the C-2
• C-2: C-1 models modified from 1976 onwards; around 182 produced; some aircraft, the C-2 Tzniut, were modified to perform reconnaissance missions by carrying a camera in the nose
• TC-2: two-seat training version
• C-7: extensively improved version, particularly with a more powerful J79-GE1JE engine, two additional hardpoints (allowing a total payload of 5000 kg), and an Elta EL/M-2021B radar
• TC-7: two-seat training version
• C-10: upgraded C-7 standard proposed to potential buyers and applied notably by Colombia to its aircraft; Ecuadorian Kfirs modernized to the Kfir CE standard are similar to this version.

Technical specifications

Current operating countries

Country		Units
	Colombia	19

Numbers in parentheses, e.g. '(+5)', indicate units ordered but not yet delivered.

All operators

Colombia • Ecuador • Israel • Sri Lanka • United States

Armament

Missiles payload:

• Anti-Radiation AGM-45 Shrike
• Air-to-Surface AGM-65 Maverick
• Air-to-Air Short-Range Python 3
• Air-to-Air Short-Range Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder
• Air-to-Air Short-Range Shafrir

Bombs payload:

• Anti-Runway Matra BLU-107/B Durandal
• Low-Drag Mk 82
• Low-Drag Mk 83
• Low-Drag Mk 84
• Laser-Guided Raytheon GBU-10 Paveway II
• Laser-Guided Raytheon GBU-12

Photo of Kfir

3-view profile