2008 AirPower Over Hampton Roads - Kfir Departure

[IsraeliXdude]

WHAT A PIECE OF HISTORY

[luv4metallica]

From what I know about the Kfir, it means "Tiger Cub" and it is essentially the copy of the very successful French Mirage III, with improved avionics, weapons systems and powerplant. This jet has the tail markings of ATAC which stands for Airborne Tactical Advantage Company. This organization provides the US with various aircraft for R&D purposes. The Kfir is no doubt one of the best fighter jets of the modern world indigenously built by Israel Aircraft Industries.

[racinglad]

@luv4metallica Actually Kfir translates to "Lion Cub"

[snoop8492]

the best of the iaf isreal airforce and iai israel aerospace industries nothing comes close

[snoop8492]

the best of the IAF isreali air force and IAI Israel Aerospace Industries kfir nothing comes close

[Johngtr13]

What is it?

[kaplanr]

There's a static one in NYC on the Intrepid, and there's a bunch on display at the AF Museum in Israel. Columbia is buying C7s that being upgraded to C10. I used to watch them to touch and gos at Tel Nof AFB in Israel in the early 80s.

[Bunjamin27]

Would KILL to see a KFIR in person!

[ZAFIRFD]

Allahu ekber

[tbgallien]

L3 @ Hampton roads

they do gov contracting like target towing and aggressor stuff for unlike aircraft training

they have a hunter and a saab 35 draken among others

[dandoosh90]

Who owns that plane? It has to be an American, that ID on the rear fuselage has an N at the beginning

[adrianrubi]

why does it look like a Mirage?

[MEGA195]

because the mosad "israeli intelligence" stole the plans of the new mirage 5 and they copied it and improved it with a new GE engine and avionics.. that's why

[adrianrubi]

isn't that called cheating? like in a test at school?

[MEGA195]

You can say so... but the problem was that they were under constant threat from all the neighbors and no country wanted to sell any technology to them, so they did what they had to do.

[adrianrubi]

yes and maybe they wanted to win so badly that their neighbors unwittingly gave them the excuse to cheat in making their own mirage 5.

[BlacktailFA]

There's no "fair" or "unfair" in war.

[kalfish]

Israel was Dassault's best customer and actually helped them design the Mirage 5 (was built to IAF specs & with IAF pilots' inputs & guidance). Shortly before the project's completion, Charles de Gaulle decided to side with the Arabs and imposed an embargo against Israel. Israel had no choice, but to continue and finish the project at home with even better improvements. de Gaulle's stupidity caused Dassault's their entire future...they are now a failing and dying company due to that exact reason

[IsraeliXdude]

@kalfish Israel stole the blueprints and reverse engineer the aircraft with slight aerodynamics difference and whole new avionics, no help from Dassault whatsoever

[oiseautempete]

@kalfish

The Mirage 5 is a close evolution from the Mirage III (same body same engine, but kfir use a US engine), improved for better air ground capability for the Israëlian spécifications: smaller air ground radar, more fuel capacity due to replacement of older electronics, more external fixing points.

de Gaulle not side to Arabs, he take sanctions to Israël due at they agressions against Liban and land occupations during the 6 days war

Israëlian nuclear bomb technology is already french...

[tommym43]

because its an improvment of mirage

[looxgood]

Kfir was designed based on Mirage V. When French refused to give liscence of production after Israel paid for aircraft, IDF simply "borrowed" blue prints from French and made now what is known as Kfir.

[116116]

A pair of these recently stopped through at Little Rock AFB.

Not from a Mirage 2000 but an improved/upgraded version of the Mirage III.

[ABTUB]

Are the Kfir a copy of the Mirage 2000?

[luisgecarr]

the israeli air force does not use the Kfir anymore.......they retired it because of the superior platform of the f-16

[kilbyave]

The KFIR is owned my ATAC as it says on the tail. They are a civilian contractor who performs threat simulation, mostly for the navy.They also fly both 1 and 2 seat Hawker Hunters. I worked on the electronic warfare pods that were owned by the navy and loaded on these aircraft for excercises. They are based at Patrick Henry airport in Newport News, VA

[F22coleman]

N406AX

[F22coleman]

Yeah, Israeli Air Force only used them for 10 years I belive it was from 82-92 definitely owned, only civilian craft have their moniker on the outside N0064AX or what the number was

[horizonflyer9]

Go Israeli air force!

[viperq]

Pretty sure that Kfir is privately owned.

[SoaringEagle2005]

Has a US civilian registration number.

[horizonflyer9]

the Israeli air force uses the kifir... thats all I meant

[xmodfreak2011]

@SoaringEagle2005 There's a civilian group over here that uses Kfirs and old Hunters as aggressors to fight Langley's F22s, F15s, and F16s.