IAI Kfir
| IAI Kfir | |
|---|---|
 A US Navy F-21A "Lion" |
|
| Type: | Fighter bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 1973 |
| Commissioning: |
April 1975 |
| Number of pieces: |
273 |
The military aircraft IAI Kfir (Hebrew: כפיר ; German : young lion) was built in Israel on the basis of the French Dassault Mirage 5 or its Israeli replica IAI Nescher . In the USA the machine was used under the designation F-21A "Lion" .
History and construction
In the second half of the 1960s, an arms embargo prevented Israel from modernizing its aircraft fleet through acquisitions. Since a stock of Mirage fighter aircraft was available from previous acquisitions, these were taken as a model and adapted for a replica with available engine models. In addition, the Israeli secret service allegedly illegally obtained technical documentation from Switzerland about the aircraft and the Atar 9C engine. According to the American aircraft designer Gene Salvay , however, a direct replica of the Mirage 5 with the help of the Rockwell and General Electric companies is more likely. The first patterns built were called Ra'am ("thunder") A in Israel. The first flight took place in September 1969; From May 1971 the machine was put into service as IAI Nescher and from 1973 it was used in the Yom Kippur War. It was practically a copy of the Mirage 5 with some domestic electronic components. From 1978 the machine was decommissioned and a large part of the total of 60 machines were sold as Dagger to Argentina, where they were used (with high losses) in the Falklands War. The machines were later modernized and called fingers .
The first Kfir came about as a conversion of the Mirage IIIB (the prototype of which was initially called Technolog ) for the American General Electric J79-GE-17 engine . It was shorter and narrower, but heavier and generated more waste heat, which made additional cooling measures necessary. As a result, the fuselage had to be redesigned, the air intake system revised and the landing gear reinforced. There was also a characteristic additional air inlet in the vertical tail fin and canard wings behind the front air inlets. In South Africa, the Atlas Cheetah was created in a similar way . The first flight of the test aircraft took place on September 21, 1970 with test pilot Daniel Shapira on board.
The Kfir C.2 was followed by a few variants, such as the two-seat trainer version Kfir-TC2, which had its maiden flight on September 28, 1980, and the RC2 reconnaissance aircraft, of which only two copies were built. Of the later series, 185 aircraft including training versions were built; some of them were delivered to Ecuador (from 1980 twelve machines), Colombia (from 1989 twelve C7 machines), Sri Lanka (from 1996 fourteen machines) and to the USA.
IAI announced in early October 2013 that the company was in advanced negotiations with two Air Forces interested in a modernized version of the Kfir called Block 60 . The machine is equipped with a new EL / M-2032 radar from the Israeli company Elta.
variants
- Kfir C.1
- The later production version had additional modifications (small air inlets at the rear for engine cooling) and was developed under the project name Ra'am B. The first prototype flew for the first time on June 4, 1973, the first real production aircraft of the now known as Kfir-C1 machine followed on April 4, 1975. It was delivered to the IAF in April 1975 .
- Kfir C.2
- After a further 26 copies, a new variant under the serial designation Kfir-C2 was put into service in 1977. The second series was characterized by greater maneuverability, improved slow flight characteristics and shortened take-off and landing distances. This was achieved through fixed canards, nose edges on the nose of the fuselage and sawtooth leading edges of the delta wings. In addition, improved avionics from Israel (for example Elta EL / M-2001 radar and head-up display) have now been installed.
- Kfir TC.2
- Two-seater version of the C.2 with an extended hull from 1980
- Kfir C.7
From 1985 to 1989 the USA leased 25 of the 27 C1s built. Of these, 12 machines were in service with the US Navy and 13 with the US Marine Corps under the designation F-21A Lion . They were used in air combat training to represent enemy aircraft. Since 2002 the machine has been used by the private American company Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) for training US pilots.
- Kfir TC.7
- Two-seater version of the C.7
- Kfir C.10
- Upgraded version for export with Elta-EL / M-2032 radar and helmet visor as well as two 127 × 177 mm MFDs. Also known as Kfir CE and Kfir COA.
- Kfir CE
- Internal designation of the C.10 for the Air Force of Ecuador.
- Kfir COA
- Internal designation of the C.10 for the Air Force of Colombia.
- Kfir RC.2 "Tzniut"
- Scout variant with extended nose with cameras, 2 built
- Kfir 2000
- Planned improvement
- F-21A "Lion"
- From 1985 to 1989 the USA leased 25 of the 27 C1s built. Of these, 12 machines were in service with the US Navy and 13 with the US Marine Corps under the designation F-21A Lion . They were used in air combat training to represent enemy aircraft. Since 2002 the machine has been used by the private American company Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) for training US pilots.
- Nammer
- Planned variant of the Kfir for export under the name "Nammer" ( German : Tiger ) with F404 engine. However, this variant planned in 1987, like the C10 update offered from 1991, was ultimately unsuccessful. It was not until 1995 that the Kfir 2000 achieved a certain export success, when Ecuador had seven of its machines converted to this standard (known as Kfir CE) from the end of the 1990s. This series can be refueled in the air with a tank probe on the right-hand side, is armed with a 30 mm twin cannon and offers nine external load stations for additional weapons (e.g. Python-4), tanks and bombs. The maximum weapon load is 6.25 tons. The engine, cockpit and avionics (e.g. El / M-2032 radar, new screens, helmet visor) have also been modernized.
Users
Of the later series, 185 aircraft including training versions were built, some of which were delivered to Ecuador, Colombia and the USA.
- 202 × Kfir C.1, C.2, C.7, TC.2, TC.7, C.10 (about 1995 decommissioned for reserve units)
- 18 × (13 × Kfir C.2, 3 × Kfir TC.2 and 2 × Kfir C.10)
- 13 × (12 × Kfir C.2 and 1 × Kfir TC.2)
- 15 × (10 × Kfir C.2, 4 × Kfir C.7 and 1 × Kfir TC.2)
- US Navy 12 × F-21A "Lion" (leased for four years until 1989)
- US Marine Corps 13 × F-21A "Lion" (leased for four years until 1989)
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data from Kfir C1 / C2 |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 15.65 m |
| span | 8.22 m |
| height | 4.55 m |
| Wing surface (with canard) | 34.80 m² |
| Elongation | 1.94 |
| Wing loading |
|
| Empty mass | 7285 kg |
| normal takeoff mass | 10,415 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 14,670 kg / 16,200 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 3000 kg |
| Top speed |
|
| Landing speed | 245 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 17,650 m |
| Max. Rate of climb | 238 m / s |
| Use radius |
|
| Take-off run | 700 m |
| Landing runway | 450 m |
| Engine | a TL General Electric J79-GE-17A or J79-IAI-J1E turbojet |
| Thrust |
|
| Thrust-to-weight ratio |
|
Armament
- Permanently installed guns
- 2 × 30 mm revolver automatic cannon DEFA 552 with 125 rounds of ammunition each (30 mm mine fire grenades)
- Ordnance up to 3,855 kg at nine external load stations
- Air-to-air guided missile
- 2–4 × LAU-7 / A launch rails for 1 × Ford AIM-9P-3 / M "Sidewinder" each - infrared-controlled self-targeting short-range air-to-air guided missile
- 2–4 × launch rails for 1 × Rafael Shafrir-2 each - infrared-controlled self-targeting short-range air-to-air guided missile
- 2–4 × launch rails for 1 × Rafael Python-3 each - infrared-controlled self-targeting short-range air-to-air guided missile
- Air-to-surface guided missile
- 2 × LAU-88A triple launch rails for 3 × Raytheon AGM-65A / B "Maverick" - infrared or TV-controlled air-to-ground guided missiles
- 2–4 × LAU-117 / A launch rails for 1 × Raytheon AGM-65A / B "Maverick" each - infrared or TV-controlled air-to-ground guided missile
- 2 × LAU-118 star rails for each 1 × Texas Instruments AGM-45A "Shrike" - self-targeting anti-radar missile
- Unguided air-to-surface missiles
- 4 × rocket tube launch container SUU-25C / A for 8 × unguided Mk.24, Mk.45 or LUU-2 flare light rockets each
- 4 × MATRA 155 tube launch rocket container (for 18 × unguided SNEB air-to-ground missiles each ; caliber 68 mm)
- 9 × rocket tube launch container LAU-32 / A (for 19 × unguided FFAR air-to-surface rockets each ; caliber 70 mm / 2.75 inch)
- 9 × rocket tube launch container LAU-3 / A (for 7 × unguided FFAR air-to-surface rockets each; caliber 70 mm / 2.75 inch)
- 6 × rocket tube launch container LAU-10D / A (for each 4 × unguided Zuni air-to-ground rocket, caliber 127 mm / 5 inch)
- Guided bombs
- 4 × IAI "Griffin" : laser-guided glide bomb 227 kg / 500 lb, analogous to the GBU-12 "Paveway I"
- 4 × IAI "Guilotine" : laser-guided glide bomb 227 kg / 500 lb, analogous to the GBU-12B "Paveway III"
- 2 × Rockwell GBU-8 "HOBO" : TV-guided glide bomb 1,020 kg / 2,247 lb with Mk.84 explosive device
- 2 × Rockwell GBU-15 : TV-guided glide bomb 1,651 kg / 3,640 lb with Mk.84 explosive device
- Unguided bombs
- 18 × Mark 82 LDGP (227 kg / 500 lb free fall bomb )
- 6 × Mark 83 LDGP: 454 kg / 1,000 lb free-fall bomb
- 4 × Mark 84 LDGP: 907 kg / 2,000 lb free-fall bomb
- 2 × M118E2 LDGP: 1,361 kg / 3,000 lb free-fall bomb
- 4 × SAMP T200: 400 kg free-fall bomb; analogous to Mk.83
- 15 × Matra BLU-107 “Durandal” : rocket-propelled 219 kg anti-runway bomb
- 15 × Rafael TAL-1: 250 kg cluster bomb with 279 bomblets
- 15 × Rafael TAL-2: 250 kg cluster bomb with 315 bomblets
- External container
- 1 × cannon container SUU-23 / A (20 mm Gatling cannon GAU-4 / M61 with 1200 rounds of ammunition)
- 3 × additional fuel tanks for 1,300 liters of kerosene
- 3 × disposable additional tanks for 1,700 liters of kerosene
Rescue systems
The Kfir is equipped with a zero-zero compatible ejection seat Martin-Baker IL10P.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ FliegerRevue July 2009, p. 64, To the article The lion still roars
- ↑ FliegerRevue March 2009, pp. 30–34, IAI Kfir - The lion still roars
- ↑ Arie Egozi: Two air forces eyeing block 60 Kfirs, says IAI. In: Flightglobal.com. October 1, 2013, accessed on October 2, 2013 (English): "Israel Aerospace Industries is in" very advanced negotiations "with at least two air forces that want to purchase the company's upgraded Kfir fighter in its Block 60 configuration."
- ↑ Bill Gunston: Modern Fighter Planes. Stocker-Schmid 1984, p. 114