Eps 23: IAI Lavi
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The Lavi was designed to possess both the flight performance and capabilities to perform as an effective supplement to the IAF's own F-15 fleet in carrying out aerial combat missions.
The Lavi was one of the first aircraft to feature this type of configuration, which has since become more commonplace amongst fighter aircraft.
While the Lavi project had been terminated without any production aircraft being produced, the development represented an important opportunity to demonstrate and advance the capabilities of Israel's aerospace industry.
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US involvement in Lavi began in the 1980 "s, when Israel asked both countries to co-produce the engines for the new Israeli warplane. IAI recovered from the near-fatal blow it suffered in 1987, when the "Lavi" project was abandoned just as it entered the development phase of its flight tests. The cancellation was a blow to the pride and prestige of the country, as the development of Lavis was one of the largest projects ever undertaken by Israel.
In the mid-1990s, however, US newspapers began reporting that intelligence agencies were looking for continued "Israeli technology transfers" to China, including components provided to Israel by the United States. This included Israel transferring a number of components to develop a fourth-generation fighter jet. The impact of the "Lavi" program on US interests, as some understood it, has been a severe blow to the US-Israel relationship and to US foreign policy in general.
The Chengdu Aircraft Corporation began work on the J-10, and the next "Lavi" in the photo is fourth from the right.
Israeli participation in the J-10 seems to have begun around the time China first established diplomatic relations with Israel in January 1992. In the mid-1990 "s, however, US newspapers began reporting that intelligence agencies knew of continued" Israeli technology transfers "to China, including components that Israel had received from the United States.
The Chengdu Aircraft Corporation began work on the J-10, and the next Lavi can be seen in the fourth image from the right. This included Israel transferring components to China for the development of a fourth-generation jet fighter and the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
Over the past 40 years, the United States and Israel have developed a very close and lucrative partnership. Israeli participation in the J-10 seems to have begun around the time China first established diplomatic relations with Israel in January 1992.
The Israeli Air Force was very early equipped almost exclusively with US warplanes and demonstrated its ability to fight its Arab adversaries in many conflicts. A key program of Israeli industry in the 1980s was the development of the Lavi, an impressive fighter program built on the success of its predecessor, the J-10. Lavi, however, went nowhere; as it was increasingly viewed by the US, coupled with budgetary difficulties and a recession, Israel decided to discontinue the promising program until 1987.
Israel had a reliable supply of Neshers and wanted to improve the performance of this type by replacing the French-designed Atar engine with the General Electric J79.
The Lavi development program began in February 1980, when the Israeli government authorized the IAF to present it to the US Air Force (USAF) and the US Marine Corps. Recognizing that the Kfir was unable to meet the next-generation threat, Israel persuaded the US to share its vision for a new, revolutionary warplane, the F-21. The successful design was good - served by the Israeli Air Force and was considered an attack aircraft by other air forces, including the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marines, as well as by all other air forces, including the U.S. Navy and F / A-18E / F fighter aircraft.
The single-seater Lavi was to replace the Skyhawks, conduct air to air combat operations against the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, and protect airspace over Israel. The tandem seating model of the Lavis should serve as an advanced training aircraft and occasionally also perform a combat mission. In 1982, however, the concept for its replacement by the A-4 changed abruptly: the aircraft became a multi-purpose fighter with a single seat and two tandem seats for a total of four seats.
The Israeli Air Force called for this change, telling IAI that if it wanted to develop the plane, it would have to do better than what it has now.
It was cancelled out of concern that it would not be a viable aircraft and would behave in the same way as the F-16 and F / A-18 fighter jets.
Although the Lavi project was completed before the aircraft was built, the development was an opportunity to demonstrate and promote the capabilities of the Israeli aerospace industry. Advanced technology transfers have become anathema to the US in recent years, forcing Israel to cancel many of its other advanced technology transfer projects. There has been no public statement or formal claim in this direction, but the technological knowledge accumulated during this development has contributed to a new generation of advanced aircraft and new technologies for the Israeli aerospace industry.