In April 50 years ago, the Israeli Air Force put a fighter aircraft developed by its own aviation industry into service. Its name: Kfir, Hebrew for “young lion”. For Militär Aktuell, Patrick Huber sheds light on the history of this jet, which later even played an important role in the US Navy (-> current news about the US armed forces) and is still flying in the USA today, decades after being decommissioned in Israel.
Since its foundation in 1948 as a state of Shoah survivors, Israel has had to fight for its existence. Currently, since the latest Islamist terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, but immediately after the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948, several Arab states attacked their new neighbor and wanted to destroy it. Further attempts to destroy Israel followed. Even if the threat scenarios have changed over the years, vigilance is still essential for Israel today.
This also included a strong military with a powerful air force. In the first few years after the founding of the state, the Avia S-199 (Czechoslovakian licensed construction of the German Messerschmitt Me 109) and the British Spitfire were used, for example. Later, aircraft were purchased from allied Western countries, such as the Mirage III from France, which was introduced in 1962 and proved its worth in combat operations to protect Israel. In the mid-1960s, France began developing its successor, the Mirage V. Israel was interested in this type. Israel was interested in this type. In 1968, the French manufacturer Dassault had completed 50 aircraft for Israel, but due to pressure from Arab states, France did not deliver the aircraft to Israel. The Israeli secret service then organized the plans and the Israeli company Israel Aircraft Industries, or IAI for short – today Israel Aerospace Industries – quickly built the jet under the name Nesher (Hebrew for “eagle”). The Nesher also proved itself in combat, but due to France’s refusal to supply fighter jets to Israel, the Israeli government feared losing its air superiority and launched a program to develop a successor to the Nesher at an early stage.
The lion as defender of Israel
This was the birth of the “Young Lion”, the Kfir, which took off on its maiden flight in June 1973. The Kfir was essentially based on the Mirage IIIB, but featured the American J79 engine (the same turbine was used to power the A4 Skyhawk and the F-4 Phantom, both of which were supplied to Israel by the USA), Israeli avionics and increased fuel capacity. The new single-seat jet (a two-seat version was also developed for training) was a real powerhouse. Its top speed was Mach 2.3 and its service ceiling was 58,020 feet, an incredible 17,681 meters. With the afterburner switched on, the Kfir achieved a climb rate of up to 45,900 feet per minute (almost 14,000 meters). The L/M-2001B was installed as the on-board radar and the aircraft also had the option of air refueling. In addition to the two built-in 30-millimeter cannons from the Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael, each with 140 rounds of ammunition, the Kfir could be equipped with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles as well as various unguided air-to-ground missiles and a whole range of bombs, making the aircraft universally deployable. The maximum weapon payload was six tons. The empty weight of the almost 16-metre-long Kfir was around 7.2 tons, the maximum take-off weight 16.2 tons. The fuel capacity of three tons enabled an operational radius of 700 kilometers, which could even be increased to up to 1,300 kilometers with additional tanks (at the expense of the armament). https://militaeraktuell.at/rheinmetall-bohemia-interactive-simulations/ Less than two years after its maiden flight, the Kfir was put into service with the 101st “First Fighter” Squadron of the Israeli Air Force in April 1975. Further units followed. However, the “Kfir” only had a short service life as a fighter aircraft, as from 1976 the USA supplied the F-15 Eagle to its most important ally in the Middle East. Israel was no longer dependent on French fighter jets. On June 27, 1979, an Israeli pilot successfully shot down a Syrian MiG 21 with his Kfir. The MiG 21 fell victim to the Israeli Shafrir 2 missile – incidentally, this missile was the first air-to-air missile developed by Israel itself. It was to remain the only documented aerial victory of the “Young Lion” in the service of Israel. During the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982, the Kfir-equipped units carried out strikes against enemy infrastructure on the ground, while the F-16 and F-15 played out their role as air superiority fighters. Nevertheless, the Kfir remained an important part of the Israeli air force until the type was gradually phased out by Israel in the 1990s.
Under a foreign flag
In 1981, Israel sold twelve Kfirs to the Ecuadorian Air Force, which were delivered between 1982 and 1983 and later partially modernized. During the war between Ecuador and Peru, a Kfir shot down a Cessna A-37B of the Peruvian Air Force with a Shafrir 2. By 2005, however, Ecuador had lost five of its Kfirs in accidents. The last Kfir was not decommissioned until 2024.
From 1985, Israel leased 25 Kfirs to the US armed forces, which used them until 1989 as enemy actor aircraft under the designation F-21A Lion. Among other things, the Israeli jet was used to simulate the Soviet MiG 23. The Kfirs were used by both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. In 1989, Israel sold 13 used aircraft to Colombia and in 2008 a contract was signed for the delivery of a further 24 used jets. The aircraft had previously been extensively modernized by IAI. However, several aircraft were lost in accidents over the years. The remaining Kfirs were upgraded at the end of 2017. They received the AESA EL/M 2052 radar and modern I-Derby-ER and Python-5 air-to-air missiles. In 2019, 23 Kfirs were still operational, in spring 2024 just eight and Israel announced that it would cease all technical support for the operation of the Colombian Kfir on 1 January 2025. At the end of 2024, the USA offered the South American country the F-16 Block 70 as a successor to the Kfir, but the Swedish company Saab is also vying for the contract with the JAS-39 Gripen. In addition Colombia is also examining the procurement of M-346FA by Leonardo – the same type, for which the Austrian Armed Forces have also opted. Between 1995 and 1996, Israel delivered 16 Kfirs to the Sri Lankan air force, where the jets were used against the rebels during the civil war. Of the 16 aircraft, two were lost in combat on the ground and three more in accidents. In 2011, two aircraft collided during an air show. In 2021, Sri Lanka and Israel signed a 48-million-euro contract for the modernization of five of the remaining Kfirs. These five jets are still in service today.
The Kfir is also used by the US company ATAC, which provides training services for the US military as a contractor. ATAC acquired six aircraft, but one crashed in 2012, killing the pilot. Although the Kfir never achieved the fame of an F-4 Phantom, an F-16 or a MiG 21, it was an innovative technical development that made a significant contribution to strengthening Israel’s defense capabilities. Of the just over 220 built since 1973, only around two dozen have “survived” in museums or as “gate guards” at air bases. More than a dozen are on display in the Israeli Air Force Museum Hatzerim, three in Sri Lanka and one aircraft in the USA.
