Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: geoffm@EBay.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Kfir (Was: Re: F-19 vs. F-117)
Message-ID: <1990Aug5.042720.28978@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 5 Aug 90 04:27:20 GMT
References: <1990Jul18.040928.14461@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul31.022951.19855@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul31.223807.6906@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
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From: geoffm@EBay.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller)


In article <1990Jul31.223807.6906@cbnews.att.com> terryy%sandstorm.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Terry Yeung) writes:

>Yes, the Kfir C-2 is the Israeli derivative of the Mirage III.  They built it
>after the French refused to sell more to Israel.  I'm not sure on what the 
>Israelis did to it but I don't believe the airframe was changed too much.  
>They did replace the original engines with the engines that was being used in
>the A-4 Skyhawk (P&W J79 I think).  As for the improved performance, I don't
>know.  The Israelis did have a lot of success with this aircraft.  Wasn't this
>aircraft up for sale to other countries?

-----

The Kfir does indeed use the J79, but this engine is made by General Electric,
not Pratt & Whitney.  The A-4 uses the J65, which is a license-built (by
Curtiss-Wright?) Bristol Orpheus.  The American engine has been a factor in
the limited export of this aircraft.

Also, the F-21 is the Kfir C1, not C2.  The C2 has much bigger canards, and
probably other, less obvious differences as well.  The C1 resembles the 
Chilean Mirages that were modified with small canards.


Geoff


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Geoff Miller                    + + + + + + + +        Sun Microsystems
geoffm@purplehaze.sun.com       + + + + + + + +       Milpitas, California
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