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112-644: The project that would ultimately give birth to the Kfir can be traced back to Israel's need for adapting the Dassault Mirage III C to the specific requirements of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The all-weather, delta-winged Mirage IIICJ was the first Mach 2 aircraft acquired by Israel from then-close ally France, and constituted the backbone of the IAF during most of the 1960s, until the arrival of

224-423: A Helmet Mounted Display System, and armed with Python 3 and Python 4 IR-homing AAMs. By 2005, Ecuador had lost four Kfirs, including one TC.2, due to accidents since the aircraft entered service in 1982. The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) acquired six Kfir C.2s and a single TC.2 in 1995–1996. A further nine aircraft had been added to the inventory by 2005, including four C.2s and four C.7s acquired in 2000. Currently

336-497: A Kfir C.2 shot down a Peruvian Air Force Cessna A-37B with a Shafrir 2 IR-homing AAM. In 1996, with tensions still running high between Ecuador and Peru, the Ecuadorians acquired four additional Kfirs (three C.2 and one TC.2) after securing approval from the U.S. State Department . In 1998, with its aging squadron of SEPECAT Jaguar fighter-bombers about to be withdrawn from active duty, Ecuador began talks with Israel for

448-487: A Kfir crashed near the city of Cartagena . The Israeli pilots operating the plane were unharmed in the incident, but the jet was destroyed. Israel Aerospace Industries said in a statement that the plane was flying a refresher flight, and that the aircraft didn't come to a stop on the landing strip, landing outside it. The director of the Israel Aerospace Industries announced that an investigation into

560-866: A batch of 16 Mirage IIIEs, three Mirage IIID two-seaters and four Mirage IIIR photo-reconnaissance aircraft. During the early 1970s, South Africa reportedly held negotiations with Dassault with the aim of securing a licence to produce either the Mirage III, the Mirage 5 and the Mirage F1. However, much like Israel, South Africa was similarly isolated by a French arms embargo after the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 in November 1977. The South African Air Force launched an ambitious rebuild programme for its Mirage III fleet, soliciting Israeli technical assistance to convert existing airframes into

672-543: A centerline pod for conducting photo reconnaissance missions, as well as an integral fuel tank underneath the aft belly; this tank could carry a smaller fuel load, but also allowed for a rear-facing film camera to also be added. When fitted with the reconnaissance pod, supersonic performance was severely diminished. The Mirage IIIS could be optionally fitted with a SEPR (Société d'Etudes pour la Propulsion par Réaction) 841 rocket engine with its 300 L (79 US gal; 66 imp gal) nitric acid oxidiser tank. It

784-787: A civilian defense contractor that provides tactical adversary aircraft services to the US military. ATAC provides airborne tactical training, threat simulation, and research & development. ATAC's corporate headquarters and primary operating location is at Patrick Henry International Airport in Newport News, VA, with additional permanent operating locations at US Naval Air Stations and Marine Corps Air Stations in California, Nevada, Hawaii and Japan. ATAC also operates Hawker Hunter F.58s. On March 6, 2012, an ATAC Kfir, FAA registration N404AX, crashed while landing at NAS Fallon , Nevada after

896-711: A deal with the Israeli government for an additional 24 ex-IAF Kfir aircraft. It was estimated that these aircraft will most probably be upgraded by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to C.10 standard. In June 2009, IAI delivered the first batch of upgraded Kfirs to the Colombian Air Force in a ceremony held at IAI's facilities in Israel. In attendance at the ceremony was Juan Hurtado Cano, the Colombian Ambassador to Israel , high-ranking officers from

1008-681: A fair-weather, ground-attack version of the Mirage III . Following the suggestions made by the Israelis, advanced avionics located behind the cockpit were removed, allowing the aircraft to increase its fuel-carrying capacity while reducing maintenance costs. By 1968, Dassault had finished production of the 50 Mirage 5Js paid for by Israel, but an arms embargo imposed upon Israel by the French government in 1967 prevented deliveries from taking place. The Israelis replied by producing an unlicensed copy of

1120-787: A flight supporting the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center . The pilot, a retired USN officer, was fatally injured. In the early 1990s, IAI was looking to export 40 Kfir-C fighters to the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) in a deal estimated to have been worth US$ 400 million to $ 1 billion; however, the deal ultimately fell through. During 2013, the Argentine Air Force commenced negotiations with Israel for 18 Kfir Block 60 fighters as an alternative to another deal for 16 ex-Spanish Mirage F1 fighters. During mid-2014, industry sources claim IAI will "soon" receive an order from

1232-492: A lightweight, all-weather interceptor , capable of climbing to 18,000 meters (59,100 ft) in 6 minutes along with the ability to reach Mach 1.3 in level flight. Three separate French manufacturers decided to respond to the specification, these being Dassault Aviation , Sud-Est , and Sud-Ouest , offering the MD.550 Mystère Delta , SE.212 Durandal and SO.9000 Trident , respectively. Dassault's submission, which became known as

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1344-681: A new world speed record on 1 March 1956. During the latter stages of testing of the Fairy Delta 2 in October and November 1956, the FD2 performed 47 low level supersonic test flights from Cazaux Air Base , Bordeaux , in France. Dassault engineers observed these trials and obtained additional data on the performance and flight characteristics of delta wing aircraft. The Delta 2 confirmed Dassault's theories, and provided additional supporting evidence for

1456-543: A number of the original Mirage IIICs, re-engined with the J79 and given the name Barak ("Lightning"), took part in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, but some sources point out that there is no evidence that these aircraft ever existed. The Kfir entered service with the IAF in 1975, the first units being assigned to the 101st "First Fighter" Squadron . Over the following years, several other squadrons were also equipped with

1568-424: A relatively long takeoff run and a high landing speed. The delta wing itself limits maneuverability and suffers from buffeting at low altitude due to the large wing area and resulting low wing loading . However, the delta is a simple design, easy to construct and relatively robust while providing generous amounts of internal volume in the wing for fuel tankage and being capable of achieving high speeds when flown in

1680-645: A sleek supersonic tank which also had bomb-carrying capacity. The outboard pylon was intended to carry an AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missile, later replaced by the Matra R550 Magic and was also armed with the radar guided Matra R530 Missile on the center line pylon. A total of 95 Mirage IIICs were obtained by the French Air Force ( Armée de l'Air , AdA), with initial operational deliveries in July 1961. The Mirage IIIC remained in service with

1792-589: A straight line. "If it were not for the clumsy way in which you tackle things in Britain, you could have made the Mirage yourself." Marcel Dassault , founder of Dassault Aviation British aviation author Derek Wood observed that there was "a striking resemblance" between the MD.550 Delta and the British Fairey Delta 2 , an experimental aircraft that first flew on 6 October 1954, and which set

1904-480: A surface attack aircraft and the twin seat Mirage IIIO(D) , a lead-in fighter trainer . GAF completed 48 Mirage IIIO(F), 50 Mirage IIIO(A) and 16 Mirage IIIO(D) aircraft. Between 1967 and 1979, all the surviving Mirage IIIO(F) aircraft were converted to the Mirage IIIO(A) standard, which reconfigured them from the interceptor role to perform ground attack and aerial reconnaissance missions instead. In 1988,

2016-650: A test model for Australian evaluation, which was given the Mirage IIIO designation. This variant flew in February 1961, but the Avon powerplant was ultimately not adopted on production aircraft. The first major production model, the Mirage IIIC , first flew in October 1960. The IIIC was largely similar to the earlier IIIA, being less than a half meter longer and featuring a full operational fit. The Mirage IIIC

2128-465: A three-tone blue-gray "ghost" scheme, were operated by Fighter Squadron 43 (VF-43) , based at NAS Oceana , Virginia. In 1988, they were returned and replaced by the F-16N . The 13 aircraft leased to the U.S. Marine Corps were operated by Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 ( VMFT-401 ), a 4th Marine Aircraft Wing / Marine Corps Reserve squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma , Arizona. In addition to

2240-750: A variant based on the Mirage IIIE and powered by the SNECMA Atar engine, built under license by Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) at Fishermans Bend , Melbourne . Known as the Mirage IIIO or GAF Mirage , the Australian variant differed from the Mirage IIIE mainly in its avionics. The other major Australian aircraft manufacturer at the time, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC), also based in Melbourne,

2352-463: Is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation . It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizontal flight, which it achieved on 24 October 1958. In 1952, the French government issued its specification, calling for a lightweight , all-weather interceptor . Amongst the respondents were Dassault with their design, initially known as

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2464-692: The Atlas Cheetah ). Subsequently, these aircraft have been modified to accept additional equipment and munitions, such as Chinese PL-12 air-to-air missiles. In 2019, the PAF was reported to be in negotiation with Egypt for purchase of 30 Mirages. Variants of the Mirage IIIE were built under license in both Australia (as the IIIO) by GAF , and Switzerland (as the IIIS) by F+W Emmen . Australia first showed an official interest in replacing its CAC Sabre with

2576-698: The Atlas Cheetah . Fixed foreplanes distinguish the Cheetah from its Mirage predecessor, and an extended nose, probably inspired by the IAI Kfir, houses a modified electronics suite, including radar. Built in single-seat, two-seat interceptor, and two-seat combat trainer versions, the Atlas Cheetah entered service in 1987 during the South African Border War . Armament consists of Denel Kukri or Darter heat-seeking air-to-air missiles,

2688-675: The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and, most importantly, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II , by the end of the decade. While the Mirage IIICJ proved to be extremely effective in the air-superiority role, its relatively short range imposed some limitations on its usefulness as a ground-attack aircraft . Thus, in the mid-1960s, at the request of Israel, Dassault Aviation began developing the Mirage 5 ,

2800-684: The Falklands War , but their lack of an aerial refueling capability limited the aircraft's usefulness in the conflict. Even using drop tanks, the Mirages only had an endurance of five minutes within the combat area around the British fleet. The Mirage III family has its origins within a series of studies conducted by the French Defence Ministry which had commenced in 1952. At the time, several nations had taken an interest in

2912-630: The First Fighter Squadron , operates F-16C Fighting Falcon Barak out of Ramat David Airbase . 101 Squadron is Israel's first fighter squadron, formed on 20 May 1948, six days after Israel declared its independence. Initially flying the Avia S-199 , it has since operated the Supermarine Spitfire , North American Mustang , Dassault Mystere IV , Dassault Mirage III CJ, IAI Nesher and IAI Kfir . 101 Squadron

3024-813: The General Electric J79 turbojet and the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan . In the end, the J79 was selected, not least because it was the same engine used on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II , which the Israelis began to acquire from the United States in 1969, along with a license to produce the J79 themselves. The J79 was clearly superior to the original French Atar 09 , providing a dry thrust of 49 kN (11,000 lbf) and an afterburning thrust of 83.4 kN (18,750 lbf). In order to accommodate

3136-704: The Mirage IIICJ , and South Africa , the bulk of their fleet being the Mirage IIICZ . Some export customers obtained the Mirage IIIB, with designations only changed to provide a country code, such as: Mirage IIIDA for Argentina , Mirage IIIDBR for Brazil , Mirage IIIBJ for Israel , Mirage IIIBL for Lebanon , Mirage IIIDP for Pakistan , Mirage IIIBZ and Mirage IIIDZ and Mirage IIID2Z for South Africa , Mirage IIIDE for Spain and Mirage IIIDV for Venezuela . After Israeli success with

3248-596: The Mirage IIIEZ , Spain as the Mirage IIIEE , and Venezuela as the Mirage IIIEV , with a list of subvariant designations, with minor variations in equipment fit. Dassault believed the customer was always right, and was happy to accommodate changes in equipment fit as customer needs and budget required. Some customers obtained the two-seat Mirage IIIBE under the general designation Mirage IIID , though

3360-512: The Mirage IV . A decisive factor had been interest from the French military, who had made its favour for the Mirage III proposal known to the company. The Mirage III incorporated various new design principles, such as the transonic area rule concept, where changes to an aircraft's cross-section were made as gradual as possible, resulting in the famous "wasp waist" configuration of many supersonic fighters. Similar to its Mirage I predecessor,

3472-679: The SAAB Licence built Robot 27 (Rb27), which is similar to the Hughes AIM-26 "Falcon"). Radar warning receivers (RWR) were installed upon on both wingtips and on the back of the rudder. In addition, the Mirage IIIS had the wiring to carry a Swiss-built or French-built nuclear bomb. In the event, the programme to produce a Swiss nuclear bomb was stopped in the pre-production stage and Switzerland chose not to purchase such weapons from France either. The Mirage IIIRS could also carry

IAI Kfir - Misplaced Pages Continue

3584-586: The Six-Day War , where it was used as both an air superiority and strike aircraft , and the Yom Kippur War , during which it was used exclusively in air-to-air combat in conjunction with the IAI Nesher , an Israeli-built derivative of the Mirage 5. Ace of aces Giora Epstein achieved all of his kills flying either the Mirage III or the Nesher. During the South African Border War , the Mirage III formed

3696-602: The Swiss Air Force . Accordingly, Mirages were manufactured in Switzerland by F+W Emmen (today RUAG , the federal government aircraft factory in Emmen ) under the Mirage IIIS designation. The Mirage IIIS was intended to perform the attack, interception, and reconnaissance missions in a single model. However, the venture suffered considerable cost overruns, mainly due to Swiss-mandated customisations and features, this

3808-541: The 1960s, the Soviet Union was alleged to have been engaged in attempts at conducting industrial espionage that targeted Dassault and specifically the Mirage III. In one widely reported incident, a pilot of the Lebanese Air Force was approached by Soviet agents, who offered him a bribe to fly one of the nation's 14 Mirage IIIs directly to Soviet territory; Lebanese counter-intelligence was notified of

3920-561: The AdA until 1988. The Armée de l'Air also placed an order for a two-seat Mirage IIIB operational trainer. Performing its first flight on 21 October 1959, it was developed in parallel with the Mirage IIIC. The fuselage was stretched about a meter (3 ft 3.5 in), while both cannons were removed to accommodate the second seat. The IIIB lacked radar and provision for the SEPR rocket

4032-523: The Argentine Air Force for Kfir Block 60s after their purchase of surplus Spanish Mirage F1s failed. Data from From Mirage to Kfir by Amos Dor, pp. 20-36. General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Dassault Mirage III The Dassault Mirage III ( French pronunciation: [miʁaʒ] )

4144-583: The Civil War period. None were lost in aerial combat. In March 2011, two Kfirs collided in mid-air during an airshow practice sortie. On June 30, 2021, it was announced that the IAI will upgrade five Sri Lankan Kfirs for a return to service with new systems and sensors under a US$ 50 million contract. Between 1985 and 1989, the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps leased 25 examples of

4256-637: The Colombian Air Force, and executives from the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israeli Ministry of Defense ( IMOD-SIBAT ). This was a part of a multi-year contract awarded in late 2007 and worth over $ 150 million to upgrade the existing Colombian Air Force Kfirs, and to supply additional jets. The additional Kfir jets, models C.10-C.12, have been upgraded and improved to include IAI's latest technologies and products. On July 20, 2009,

4368-680: The EL/M 2052 AESA Radar and incorporated the I-Derby-ER Active Air to Air Missile and the Python-5 Air to Air Infrared Missile As of 2019, 23 Colombian IAI Kfirs remain in service. In 1981, Ecuador and Israel signed a sales agreement for ten refurbished and new ex-IAF Kfir C.2s and two TC.2s, which were delivered to the Ecuadorian Air Force ( FAE ) in 1982–1983. The Kfirs formed the 2113rd Squadron ( Lions ) of

4480-404: The FAE's 21st Fighter Wing, based at Taura AFB, on the Ecuadorian western lowlands. The FAE Kfirs went into action during the 1995 Cenepa War between Ecuador and Peru . Relying on its fleet of subsonic A-37Bs for low-level ground-attack missions on Peruvian positions, the Ecuadorian Air Force held back its Mirage F.1s and Kfir C.2s for use as escorts and interceptors. On February 10, 1995,

4592-407: The French government; he has claimed that the state would often commence negotiations without involving or informing Dassault at all until a later stage. A good number of Mirage IIIEs were built for export as well, being purchased in small numbers by Argentina as the Mirage IIIEA , Brazil as the Mirage IIIEBR , Lebanon as the Mirage IIIEL , Pakistan as the Mirage IIIEP , South Africa as

IAI Kfir - Misplaced Pages Continue

4704-573: The GE J79 made its first flight in September 1970, and was soon followed by a re-engined Nesher, which flew in September 1971. An improved prototype of the aircraft, with the name Ra'am B ("Ra'am" means "Thunder"; the "Ra'am A" was the Nesher ), made its first flight in June 1973. It had an extensively revised cockpit, a strengthened landing gear, and a considerable amount of Israeli-built avionics. The internal fuel tanks were slightly rearranged, their total capacity being increased to 713 US gal (2,700 L). There were unconfirmed reports that

4816-431: The IAF occurred on June 27, 1979, when a Kfir C.2 shot down a Syrian MiG-21 . By the time of the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982 ( Operation Peace for Galilee ) the IAF was able to use both its F-15s and F-16s for air superiority roles, leaving the Kfirs to carry out unescorted strike missions. Shortly afterwards, all IAF C.2s began to be upgraded to the C.7 version, with enhanced weight performance, making

4928-576: The IAI Kfir has been exported to Colombia , Ecuador , and Sri Lanka . As a result of a trade agreement between Colombia and Israel in 1989 the Colombian government bought a batch of 12 ex-IAF Kfir C.2s and one TC.2, which were delivered to the Colombian Air Force ( FAC ) in 1989–1990. Since then, all the C.2s have been upgraded to the C.7 variant. The FAC Kfirs have been widely used in ground-attack missions during counter-insurgency operations against Colombian terrorists. As of 2004 two aircraft had been lost in accidents. In February 2008, Colombia signed

5040-449: The IIIR recce aircraft were purchased by Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan , and South Africa. Some export Mirage IIIRDs were fitted with British Vinten cameras, not OMERA cameras. Most of the Belgian aircraft were built locally. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) purchased three variants of the Mirage III: Initial Israeli operations were conducted in a close cooperative relationship with both Dassault and France itself,

5152-422: The Kfir C.1, which were officially designated F-21A and modified for use as unarmed adversaries : mock opponents in dissimilar air combat training (DACT). These aircraft had narrow-span canard foreplanes and two small rectangular strakes, one on either side of the nose, which considerably improved the aircraft's maneuverability and handling at low speeds. The 12 F-21 aircraft leased to the U.S. Navy, painted in

5264-546: The Kfir more suitable to its new fighter-bomber role. During the second half of the 1990s, the Kfirs were withdrawn from active duty in the IAF, after almost twenty years of continuous service. Israel Aerospace Industries announced in August 2013 it will offer pre-owned Kfir fighter jets to foreign customers, with a 40-year guarantee. Unit price is reported to be $ 20 million. A few Eastern European and Latin American countries have expressed interest, Israel's Globes business daily reported. By October 2013, Israel Aerospace Industries

5376-413: The MD.550 Mystère Delta featured a tailless delta configuration, possessing a 5 per cent thickness (ratio of airfoil thickness to length) and 60° sweep, complete with a large vertical stabilizer and rudder . However, the tailless delta configuration imposed a number of limitations, including the lack of a horizontal stabilizer , which meant that conventional flaps could not be used; this resulted in

5488-501: The MD.550 Mystère Delta, was a diminutive and sleek-appearing aircraft that was principally powered by a pair of 9.61 kN (2,160 lbf) Armstrong Siddeley MD30R Viper afterburning turbojet engines (built under licence by Dassault); atypically, the design also featured provisions for the installation of a secondary propulsion system in the form of a SEPR -built 66 liquid-fuel rocket engine , capable of providing boost thrust of 4.7 kN (1,100 lbf). The basic layout of

5600-496: The Mach number increased. This achieved a reduction in inlet pressure losses by ensuring the fuselage oblique shock remained outside the intake lip. Reportedly, their addition enabled an increased speed of Mach 1.65 to be reached, while use of the supplemental SEPR 66 rocket (as fitted to the Mirage I) had allowed for a speed of Mach 1.8 to be reached in September 1957. The success of the Mirage III prototype resulted in an order for 10 pre-production Mirage IIIA fighters. Although

5712-438: The MiG-23 was being introduced in very large numbers, and was a very capable aircraft compared to earlier Soviet types. These USMC F-21 aircraft were replaced by F-5E aircraft when the F-21s were returned in 1989 (although this left the training units without any aircraft capable of accurately simulating the Mach 2+ and fast-accelerating MiG-23). Six Kfirs are also used by the US firm Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC),

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5824-407: The Mirage 5, the Nesher , with technical specifications for both the airframe and the engine obtained by Israeli spies. The Kfir programme originated in the quest to develop a more capable version of the IAI Nesher , which was already in series production. After General De Gaulle embargoed the sale of arms to Israel, the IAF feared that it might lose qualitative superiority over its adversaries in

5936-399: The Mirage I. Following favourable flight testing held over the course of 1954, in which speeds of up to Mach 1.6 were attained, it was decided that a larger follow-on aircraft would be required to bear the necessary equipment and payloads. An enlarged Mirage II proposal was considered, as well as MD 610 Cavalier (3 versions), but was discarded in favour of a further-developed design, powered by

6048-428: The Mirage III had provision for a booster rocket engine. On 17 November 1956, the prototype Mirage III perform its first flight. During its 10th flight, it was recorded as having attained a speed of Mach 1.52 at one point. During the course of the flight test programme, the prototype was fitted with a pair of manually-operated intake half-cone shock diffusers , known as souris ("mice"), which could be moved forward as

6160-403: The Mirage III in 1960, and initially considered a variant powered by a licence-built variant of the Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet (used by the CAC Sabre). While an experimental Avon-powered Mirage III was built as a prototype and flown in trials, it did not result in use of the Avon by a production variant. The Australian government decided that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) would receive

6272-449: The Mirage III was finally withdrawn from RAAF service; 50 of the surviving fighters were exported to Pakistan in 1990. Several examples are preserved in museums around Australia; at least one of these is reportedly under restoration to a taxiable condition. In 1961, Switzerland purchased a single Mirage IIIC from France for use as a development aircraft to support the nation's intentions to domestically produce 100 Mirage III fighters for

6384-440: The Mirage IIIC, scoring kills against Syrian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17s and MiG-21 aircraft and then achieving a formidable victory against Egypt , Jordan , and Syria in the Six-Day War of June 1967, the Mirage III's earned a combat-proven service history. This and low cost made it a popular export success. According to Brindley, a key element of the Mirage III's export success was the extensive support given to Dassault by

6496-473: The Mirage IIIE's export versions. The Mirage IIIE featured Thomson-CSF Cyrano II dual mode air / ground radar; a radar warning receiver (RWR) system with the antennas mounted in the vertical tailplane; and an Atar 09C engine, the latter being equipped with a petal-style variable exhaust. On 14 January 1964, the first production Mirage IIIE was delivered to the AdA, over time, 192 aircraft were eventually delivered to that service. By 1971, this variant had become

6608-407: The Mirage IIIE, and provision for carrying an infrared linescan or a Side looking airborne radar in an under-fuselage pod. In response to interest expressed by the AdA in a reconnaissance model of the Mirage design, Dassault proceeded with the development of a pair of prototypes. On 31 October 1961, the first of these prototypes conducted its maiden flight; on 1 February 1963, it was followed by

6720-582: The RAAF for cannibalized spare parts . Eight of the ex-RAAF Mirages entered service with the PAF immediately, while another 33 were upgraded under a PAF project known as ROSE I ("Retrofit of Strike Element"), with new equipment including: head-up display (HUD), HOTAS controls, multi-function display (MFD), radar altimeter , nav/attack system (manufactured by SAGEM ), inertial navigation and GPS systems, radar warning receiver (RWR), an electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite, decoy flares and chaff dispenser. In 1999, multi-mode FIAR Grifo M3 radar

6832-420: The SLAF operates two TC.2s, two C.7s and six C.2s by the No. 10 "Fighter" Squadron . The SLAF used their Kfirs to carry out attacks against LTTE rebels during the Sri Lankan Civil War in Sri Lanka . Two Kfir C.7s were destroyed on the ground in an LTTE attack on SLAF Katunayake air base, part of Bandaranaike International Airport , on 24 July 2001. Three others were lost in non-combat related accidents during

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6944-471: The aircraft, including the Dassault Mirage 5 , Dassault Mirage IIIV and Atlas Cheetah . Some operators have undertaken extensive modification and upgrade programmes, such as Project ROSE of the Pakistan Air Force . The Mirage III has been used in active combat roles in multiple conflicts by a number of operators. The Israeli Air Force was perhaps the most prolific operator of the fighter outside of France itself; Israel deployed their Mirage IIIs in both

7056-456: The airplanes were dispersed between the orange trees when parked. The squadron was moved in October to Hatzor Airbase from the strip in due to its unsuitability in rainy conditions, probable loss of clandestine status, fluidity of the front lines which made former British bases safe for use, and a shift in the balance of air superiority towards the Israelis. In 2021 the squadron relocated from Hatzor Airbase to Ramat David Airbase alongside

7168-441: The attempt by the pilot. Diplomatically, France was protective of the fighter, often forbidding nations from re-exporting their Mirage IIIs to third parties without their consent under the threat of a prospective embargo. Export versions of the Mirage IIIR were built for Pakistan as the Mirage IIIRP and Mirage IIIRP2 , and South Africa as the Mirage IIIRZ and Mirage IIIR2Z with an Atar 9K-50 jet engine. Export versions of

7280-440: The blue-gray painted aircraft, the USMC also had some F-21s painted in Israeli colors and desert "flogger" schemes (named because they were to represent the schemes often worn by Warsaw Pact MiG-23 "Floggers"). The Kfir was utilized because they both shared the common characteristic of being very fast-accelerating, as well as achieving a top speed of above Mach 2. The MiG-23 was targeted as the "enemy" aircraft because at this time

7392-413: The bulk of the South African Air Force 's fleet, comprising a cluster of Mirage IIICZ interceptors, Mirage IIIEZ fighter-bombers and Mirage IIIRZ reconnaissance fighters; following the introduction of the newer Mirage F1 , the type was dedicated to secondary roles in the conflict, such as daytime interception, base security, reconnaissance and training. The Argentine Air Force used the Mirage IIIEA during

7504-436: The capability to simultaneously track up to 64 targets. The J79 has been overhauled to zero flight hours, and would need replacement after 1,600 hours. Since the J79 turbojet engine is an U.S. design, although manufactured under license in Israel, all export sales of the Kfir are subject to prior approval being granted by the U.S. State Department , a fact that has limited the sale of the Kfir to foreign nations. As of 2006,

7616-524: The cockpit; in contrast, none of the Mirage IIICs were provided with this apparatus. A similar inconsistent variation was the presence or absence of a high frequency (HF) antenna fitted as a forward extension to the vertical tailplane; on some Mirages, the leading edge of the tailplane was a straight line, while on those with the HF antenna the leading edge had a sloping extension forward. The extension appears to have been generally standard on production Mirage IIIAs and Mirage IIICs, but only appeared in some of

7728-457: The first production-standard aircraft of the model. The AdA opted to obtain a total of 50 production Mirage IIIRs; the service later ordered a further 20 Mirage IIIRDs as well. Several export customers, most notably Switzerland , also chose to procure reconnaissance Mirages. The Mirage IIIR preceded the Mirage IIIE in operational introduction. The largest export customers for Mirage IIICs built in France were Israel , their principal variant being

7840-443: The form of the single-seat Mirage IIIE ; a two-seat trainer variant of the aircraft was also developed, designated as the Mirage IIID . On 5 April 1961, the first of a batch of three prototypes performed its first flight. The Mirage IIIE considerably differed from the earlier Mirage IIIC interceptor. In terms of its airframe, the aircraft possessed a 300 mm (12 in) forward fuselage extension, which had been made to increase

7952-469: The former sharing large amounts of operational data and experience with the other parties. However, Israel was forced into updating its own Mirages when France imposed an arms embargo on the region after the 1967 Six-Day War . For many years, official military relations did not exist between France and Israel, however, spare components remained available. The result of these troubles was the development of Israel Aircraft Industries ' Nesher fighter, which

8064-577: The future, which were receiving increasingly advanced Soviet aircraft. The main and most advanced type of aircraft available to the IAF was the Mirage, but a severe problem developed due to the Mirage fleet's depletion due to attrition after the Six-Day War . Domestic production would circumvent the embargo restrictions completely; efforts to reverse engineer and reproduce components of the Mirage were aided by Israeli espionage efforts to obtain technical assistance and blueprints from third party Mirage operators. Two powerplants were initially selected for trials,

8176-470: The ground on 30 May. The airfield was used as it was some distance behind the front lines, and was clandestine. It was a purpose built strip that was constructed after the beginning of hostilities in between the orange orchards around Herzliya, and did not appear on published maps. During these initial operations, the squadron operated with a few planes in the face of the Arab forces' near- Air supremacy and

8288-676: The incident had already begun and that a panel to probe the crash had been appointed. On July 22, 2009, IAI informed the Colombian Air Force that the accident was caused by an unspecified human error. As a result, IAI will replace the unit lost with another one and it will resume delivery to the Colombian Air Force. On November 1, 2013, two Colombian Air Force IAI Kfirs intercepted Russian Air Force Tu-160s that had entered Colombian airspace. The Russian aircraft had taken off from Simón Bolívar International Airport Venezuela. On October 10, 2017, Colombian IAI Kfirs were updated with

8400-436: The installation of afterburners and a rocket motor; it was at this point that the aircraft was renamed as the Mirage I . In late 1954, the prototype attained a recorded speed of Mach 1.3 in level flight without rocket assistance, as well as reaching Mach 1.6 when using the rocket motor. According to aviation author John F. Brindley, testing of the Mirage I and prototypes of the rival Trident and Durandal designs had demonstrated

8512-418: The limitations of the light fighter concept, namely limitations on both endurance and equipment/payload capacity. The small size of the Mirage I restricted its armament to a single air-to-air missile , and it was decided during flight trials that the aircraft was too small for the carriage of a useful armament. Following the completion of flying trials, the Mirage I prototype was eventually scrapped. Dassault

8624-540: The most notable PAF unit equipped with the type has been No. 5 Squadron , which was fully operational by the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 . During the conflict, while flying out from bases in Sargodha and Mianwali , the Mirage III was used to conduct ground attacks against Indian military units and targets of interest. The PAF denied that any Mirage was lost. It was also confirmed by France that no fighter jet

8736-430: The most widely exported version of the aircraft. A number of dedicated reconnaissance variants of the Mirage III were developed and produced, grouped under the general designation of Mirage IIIR . These aircraft possessed a Mirage IIIE airframe but were furnished with avionics from the Mirage IIIC variant, along with a purpose-developed camera nose, which internally accommodated up to five OMERA cameras. On this variant,

8848-456: The new aircraft. The role of the Kfir as the IAF's primary air superiority asset was short-lived, as the first F-15 Eagle fighters from the United States were delivered to Israel in 1976. The Kfir's first recorded combat action took place on November 9, 1977, during an Israeli air strike on a training camp at Tel Azia, in Lebanon . The only air victory claimed by a Kfir during its service with

8960-430: The new powerplant on the Mirage III's airframe, and to deliver the added cooling required by the J79, the aircraft's rear fuselage was slightly shortened and widened, its air intakes were enlarged, and a large air inlet was installed at the base of the vertical stabilizer, so as to supply the extra cooling needed for the afterburner. The engine itself was encased in a titanium heatshield. A two-seat Mirage IIIBJ fitted with

9072-451: The newly developed Snecma Atar afterburning turbojet engine, designated as the Mirage III. In October 1960, the first major production model, designated as the Mirage IIIC, performed its maiden flight . Initial operational deliveries of this model commenced in July 1961; a total of 95 Mirage IIICs were obtained by the French Air Force ( Armée de l'Air , AdA). The Mirage IIIC was rapidly followed by numerous other variants. The Mirage III

9184-478: The newly developed Snecma Atar afterburning turbojet engine, capable of generating up to 43.2 kN (9,700 lbf) of thrust. The Atar was an axial-flow turbojet design, having been derived from the German Second World War -era BMW 003 engine. The new Atar-equipped fighter design received the name Mirage III . There was also an even larger heavy fighter design drafted, referred to as

9296-523: The prospects of a light fighter , which had been motivated by combat experiences acquired during the Korean War , specifically the Soviet -built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet-propelled fighter aircraft which had drawn considerable attention internationally. Western nations were keen to explore the performance of a relatively uncomplicated and heavily armed jet-powered swept wing fighter, inspired by

9408-604: The radar system was removed due to a lack of available space in the nose, however, the aircraft retained the twin DEFA cannons and all compatibility with its external stores. An improved variant, designated as the Mirage IIIRD , was also developed later on; it was essentially a Mirage IIIR outfitted with an extra panoramic camera at the most forward nose position, along with the adoption of the Doppler radar and other avionics from

9520-746: The rapid advances in aircraft capabilities that had been made by the Soviet Union. France was one of the quickest governments of several nations, including the United Kingdom (resulting in the Folland Gnat ), the United States (leading to the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk ), and Italy (which became the Fiat G.91 ), to embark on encouraging the development of such an aircraft. In 1952, the French government issued its specification, calling for

9632-484: The rocket engine could be jettisoned at low flight speeds. The rocket fuel ( TG-02 ) was very hazardous and highly toxic, requiring special buildings for maintenance to be built in Buochs and Payerne and personnel involved in its handling to wear special protective suits; accordingly, the rocket motor was not used often. 101 Squadron (Israel) 101 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) , also known as

9744-617: The sale of a new batch of eight Kfirs. Fearing an escalation of the arms race in South America (Peru had recently acquired 18 MiG-29s and 18 Su-25s from Belarus ), the United States blocked the deal. As an alternative, Ecuador and Israel signed an agreement in 1999 for the delivery of two Kfir C.10s and for the conversion of an undisclosed number of the FAE's original C.2s to the C.10 version, referred to in Ecuador as Kfir CE , featuring

9856-420: The size of the avionics bay, located directly behind the cockpit. The stretch had also enabled its fuel capacity to be expanded, which had been deemed necessary after several pilots had criticized the Mirage IIIC for having been quite limited in terms of its range. Many Mirage IIIEs were fitted with a British-built Marconi continuous-wave Doppler navigation radar radome on the bottom of the fuselage, underneath

9968-550: The squadron's 15 aircraft were forced to land in Greece, and were immediately impounded. During the next ferry-flight a C-46 was used as a navigation guide, and a corvette was readied off the coast in case any aircraft had to be ditched and pilots rescued from water. Four of these flew the squadron's first mission on 29 May 1948, strafing the Egyptian ground forces near Ad Halom , in the prelude to Operation Pleshet . 101 Squadron

10080-565: The strengthened frames was the enabling of JATO -assisted takeoffs, giving the type a short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. Other major differences were present on the Swiss-built interceptors. It was furnished with new American-sourced avionics along with a different cockpit design, including a Hughes Aircraft Company -built TARAN-18 radar system and could armed with the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile (Swiss designation of

10192-502: The targeting of which was aided by a pilot's helmet mounted sight. In 1967, Pakistan opted to purchase an initial batch of 18 Mirage IIIEPs, 3 Mirage IIIDPs and 3 Mirage IIIRPs from France. Over the course of time, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inducted large numbers of new and secondhand Mirages IIIs and Mirage 5s spanning multiple variants. In 1977 and 1978, an additional 10 new Mirage IIIRP2s were delivered. Perhaps

10304-467: The tenth and final Mirage IIIA was rolled out; the last six pre-production aircraft were largely representative of the subsequent initial production standard. The test regime involved a wide variety of tasks, including the evaluation of the newer SEPR 841 rocket motor, various underwing drop tanks , and other major systems. One Mirage IIIA was powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 67 engine capable of generating 71.1 kN (16,000 lbf) of thrust, to serve as

10416-563: The trainers were generally similar to the Mirage IIIBE except for minor changes in equipment fit. In some cases they were identical, since two surplus AdA Mirage IIIBEs were sold to Brazil under the designation Mirage IIIBBR , and three were similarly sold to Egypt under the designation Mirage 5SDD . New-build exports of this type included aircraft sold to Abu Dhabi , Argentina, Brazil, Chile , Colombia , Egypt , Gabon , Libya , Pakistan , Peru , Spain, Venezuela, and Zaire . During

10528-462: The type had initially conceived of as an interceptor, the batch had been ordered with the intention of using them to develop the type for additional roles as well. The Mirage IIIA were almost 2 meters longer than the Mirage III prototype, had an enlarged wing of 17.3 per cent greater area, a chord reduced to 4.5 per cent, and an Atar 09B turbojet capable of generating afterburning thrust of up to 58.9 kN (13,200 lbf). The SEPR 841 rocket engine

10640-588: The type remained a fairly maneuverable aircraft and an effective opponent when engaged in close-range dogfighting . During its service with the French Air Force, the Mirage III was normally armed with assorted air-to-ground ordnance or R.550 Magic air-to-air missiles . Its design proved to be relatively versatile, allowing the fighter model to be readily adapted to serve in a variety of roles, including trainer , reconnaissance and ground-attack versions, along with several more extensive derivatives of

10752-436: The viability of the Mirage III development. On 25 June 1955, the first prototype of the MD.550 Mystère Delta, without afterburning engines or rocket motor and with an unusually large vertical stabilizer, conducted its maiden flight . In this configuration, it was able to attain a maximum speed of Mach 1.15. Following initial flights, it received a redesign that involved the vertical stabilizer being reduced in size along with

10864-417: Was a single-seat interceptor, with an Atar 09B turbojet engine, featuring an eyelid type variable exhaust. The Mirage IIIC was armed with twin 30 mm DEFA cannon fitted in the belly with the gun ports under the air intakes. Early production Mirage IIICs had three stores pylons, one under the fuselage and one under each wing; another outboard pylon was soon added to each wing, for a total of five, excluding

10976-413: Was also deleted, although it could carry external stores if desired. The AdA ordered 63 Mirage IIIBs (including the prototype), including five Mirage IIIB-1 trials aircraft, ten Mirage IIIB-2(RV) inflight refueling trainers with dummy nose probes, used for training Mirage IVA bomber pilots, and 20 Mirage IIIBE s, with the engine and some other features of the multi-role Mirage IIIE. One Mirage IIIB

11088-628: Was also involved in the project, producing the Atar engine under licence. Initially, Dassault provided a pair of pattern aircraft, the first of these flying in March 1963, which were transported to Australia and used to aid technicians at GAF in establishing their own assembly line for the type. GAF produced three variants: the Mirage IIIO(F) , which was an interceptor, the Mirage IIIO(A) ,

11200-470: Was also retained. The Mirage IIIA was also fitted with a Thomson-CSF -built Cyrano Ibis air intercept radar , operational-standard avionics, and a drag chute to shorten its landing roll. In May 1958, the first Mirage IIIA conducted its first flight. On 24 October of that year, this aircraft achieved a top speed of Mach 2.2 during one of its test flights, thus becoming the first Western European aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in level flight. In December 1959,

11312-559: Was based on the Mirage 5. Nevertheless, Mirage IIIB upgrades up to and including a full Kfir -type conversion have also been made available to third parties by IAI. South Africa was amongst the earliest export customers for the Mirage III, having initially ordered a batch of 15 Mirage IIIC for low-level ground attack operations, for which they were armed with the Nord Aviation AS-20 , along with three Mirage IIIBZ two-seater trainers. Further aircraft were ordered, including

11424-407: Was compounded by a lack of financial oversight, controversy over the manufacturing cost ultimately cumulated in the so-called "Mirage affair" and the resignation of several officials. It became clear that a single model was not capable of the performance desires; thus only 36 Mirage IIIS interceptors and 18 Mirage IIIRS reconnaissance aircraft were eventually produced by F+W Emmen. The Mirage IIIS

11536-441: Was fitted with a fly-by-wire flight control system in the mid-1970s and redesignated Mirage IIIB-SV ( Stabilité Variable ), it was used as a testbed for the system in the later Mirage 2000 . While the initial Mirage IIIC model was heading towards quantity production, Dassault turned its attention towards the development of a multirole / strike variant of the aircraft. Efforts in this direction would eventually materialized in

11648-539: Was formed at two air bases simultaneously: IAF Ekron, former RAF Aqir , currently Tel Nof Airbase , and Žatec , code-named "Zebra", in northwestern Czechoslovakia, a former Luftwaffe airfield close to a Messerschmitt production facility. Pilots received initial flight training on the Avia S-199s , Czechoslovak-built copies of the Bf 109G with 1,320 hp Junkers Jumo 211 F powerplants. During one ferry flight some of

11760-566: Was in "very advanced negotiations" with at least two air forces interested in the Kfir Block 60. An aircraft can be delivered within one year, with two squadrons to be sold in two to three years. The Block 60 is offered with the Elta EL/M-2032 with open architecture avionics to allow a customer to install other systems. The sensor provides an all-aspect, look-down/shoot-down performance in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, with

11872-609: Was installed in the PAF Mirages. Ten Lebanese Air Force aircraft were purchased in 2000 and in 2003 15 Mirage IIIEEs and 5 Mirage IIIDEs were obtained from the Spanish Air Force for cannibalized spare parts . From 2011, the PAF Mirage fleet was modified to carry Hatf-VIII (Ra'ad) cruise missiles and to accommodate aerial refueling probes of South African origin (presumably similar to those installed on

11984-418: Was installed under the rear of the fuselage on a removable adaptor; it could be removed and a similar-shaped fuel tank installed instead. The SEPR rocket enabled the Mirage IIIS to reach an altitude of 24,000 m with its additional thrust of 1500 kp; the rocket motor could be switched off and restarted a maximum of three times during a flight, and had a maximum running time of 80 seconds. In an emergency,

12096-530: Was keen to produce a successor to the Mirage I prototype; at one point, the firm was considering the production of an enlarged version, known as the Mirage II , which would have been furnished with a pair of Turbomeca Gabizo turbojet engines. However, the Mirage II ultimately remained unbuilt as it was bypassed for an even more ambitious design, being 30 per cent heavier than the original Mirage I, powered by

12208-550: Was missing from the total of 23 (a single aircraft had already been lost before the war). In 1991, because French production of the Mirage III and most spare parts had ceased, Pakistan acquired 50 Australian-built Mirages, which had been retired by the Royal Australian Air Force in 1988: 42 examples of the Mirage IIIO and eight twin-seat IIID. A further five incomplete aircraft were also obtained from

12320-427: Was produced in large numbers for both the French Air Force and a wide number of export customers. Prominent overseas operators of the fighter included Argentina , Australia , South Africa , Pakistan and Israel , as well as a number of non-aligned nations. Often considered to be a second-generation fighter aircraft, the Mirage III experienced a lengthy service life with several of these operators; for some time,

12432-511: Was responsible for the Israeli Air Force's first aerial victories on 3 June 1948, when Modi Alon , after taking off from Herzliya Airport , shot down a pair of Royal Egyptian Air Force C-47s which had just bombed Tel Aviv. A makeshift strip located around the current Herzliya Airport was the main operating base of the squadron between June and October 1948, and the squadron moved to it after un-assembled planes were strafed on

12544-582: Was with considerably strengthened wings, airframe, and undercarriage as the Swiss Air Force had required robustness comparable to that of carrier-based planes. The reinforced airframes enabled aircraft to be moved by lifting them with a crane (hence the airframes also being fitted with four lifting points, retractable nosecones and lengthened nosewheel legs), as the aircraft caverns in the mountains that Swiss Air Force uses as bunkers offer very little space to maneuver parked aircraft. Another benefit of

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