Notes: This
Israeli fighter-bomber is based on the French Mirage 5.
The aircraft was modified by making it sleeker, replacement of the engine
with one of the more powerful ones fitted to the F-4 Phantom II, a better radar,
and more hardpoints, along with better maneuverability.
The US Navy and Marines flew some of these aircraft as well, stationed at
the Top Gun school as aggressor aircraft; these were designated F-21 Lion Cub.
They were retired in 1989, and, as the Navy Lion Cubs were leased, were
returned to Israel. Ecuador operated them until recently, and Columbia and Sri
Lanka together still operate about 24 Kfirs. The Kfir’s service with the IAF was
limited, as shortly after service began, F-15 fighters from the US began to show
up, though Kfirs did not leave IAF service until the mid-1990s.
Like the Mirage
5, the Kfir has a sleek area-ruled fuselage with a long nose and a low-mounted
delta wing. Though its Mirage 5 heritage is evident, there are several external
differences; the nose and forward fuselage is longer, the rear fuselage is
shorter due to the shorter engine, the tail has an extra ram air scoop under the
vertical stabilizer due to the hotter-running engine, the wings have a dog-tooth
leading edge extension, above and behind the intakes are canards, and the sides
of the nose and intakes have strakes. Instead of the Atar 9C engine of the
Mirage 5, the Kfir is powered by the superior General Electric J79 turbojet,
which has a thrust of 11000 pounds dry and 18700 pounds in afterburner. (A
re-engined Mirage IIICJ and a re-engined Nesher were first built to test the
concept.) The pilot has an ejection seat.
The C1 was the
original production Kfir. It does not have the dog-tooth wings, the canards, and
does not have the strakes on the nose or intakes. It does use the J79 engine.
The C2 has had the strakes, canards, and dog-tooth wing added, along with flare
and chaff dispensers. Some C2s were upgraded C1s. The C7 is a vastly upgraded
C2; most C2s were in fact upgraded to the C7 standard.
It is powered by the improved J-79-GE-J1E engine that has 11900 pounds of
thrust dry and 19700 pounds of thrust in afterburner; this, along with hardpoint
and airframe strengthening, allows the Kfir C7 to lift more weight. The radar
fitted is more powerful than the C2’s radar, and an advanced HUD is installed.
The C7 also has a laser designator for air-to-ground work, and the C7 may also
be refueled in air. The avionics are mostly installed in an extended nose. The
C10 was designed especially for export, and is also known as the Kfir CE (in
Ecuadorean service) and the Kfir COA (in Columbian service). The primary upgrade
in the C10 is the more advanced radar, but the aircraft also includes a HUD
upgrade and two large multifunction displays for the pilot. The C12 is an
upgraded version of the C7, brought up mostly to C10 standards. The C12 is used
only by the Columbians. The Block 60 is a C10 upgraded with AESA radar able to
track up to 64 targets and attack three of them at once. The Kfir NG (Next
Generation) is a further upgrade of the Block 60, with a technology and fire
control upgrade.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The C12, Block 60, and NG are not available in the Twilight 2000
timeline.
|
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
|
Kfir C1 |
$11,757,776 |
JP5 |
6.09 tons |
16.2 tons |
1 |
22 |
Radar (74 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Kfir C2 |
$14,362,712 |
JP5 |
6.09 tons |
16.5 tons |
1 |
22 |
Radar (74 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Kfir C7 |
$15,535,352 |
JP5 |
7.29 tons |
16.5 tons |
1 |
23 |
Radar (100 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Kfir C10 |
$19,932,752 |
JP5 |
7.29 tons |
16.66 tons |
1 |
24 |
Radar (222 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Kfir C12 |
$17,070,952 |
JP5 |
7.29 tons |
16.6 tons |
1 |
24 |
Radar (100 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Kfir Block 60 |
$20,651,692 |
JP5 |
7.29 tons |
16.76 tons |
1 |
25 |
Radar (250 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Kfir NG |
$20,728,472 |
JP5 |
7.29 tons |
16.86 tons |
1 |
26 |
Radar (250 km) |
Enclosed |
|
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Mnvr/Acc Agl/Turn |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Ceiling |
Armor |
|
Kfir C1 |
3536 |
982 (160) |
NA 265
5/3 50/30 |
3360 |
3352 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Kfir C2 |
3474 |
964 (140) |
NA 260
7/4 70/40 |
3360 |
3352 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Kfir C7 |
3748 |
1042 (140) |
NA 281
7/4 70/40 |
3360 |
3622 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Kfir C10 |
3712 |
1032 (140) |
NA 279
7/4 70/40 |
3360 |
3622 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Kfir C12 |
3726 |
1034 (140) |
NA 279
7/4 70/40 |
3360 |
3622 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Kfir Block 60 |
3690 |
1026 (140) |
NA 277
7/4 70/40 |
3360 |
3622 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Kfir NG |
3670 |
1020 (140) |
NA 275
7/4 70/40 |
3360 |
3622 |
22860 |
FF6 CF6
RF6 W5 T6 |
|
Vehicle |
Combat Equipment |
Minimum Landing/Takeoff Zone |
RF |
Armament |
Ammo |
|
Kfir C1 |
RWR, Secure Radios, IFF, ECM 2, IRCM 1 |
800/1000m
Hardened Runway |
+2 |
2x30mm DEFA 553 Autocannons, 7 Hardpoints |
280x30mm |
|
Kfir C2 |
Flare/Chaff Dispensers (50/30), RWR, Secure Radios, IFF, ECM 2, IRCM 1 |
650/750m
Hardened Runway |
+2 |
2x30mm DEFA 553 Autocannons, 7 Hardpoints |
280x30mm |
|
Kfir C7 |
Flare/Chaff Dispensers (50/30), RWR, Secure Radios, IFF, ECM 2, IRCM 1,
HUD Interface, Laser Designator (30 km) |
650/750m
Hardened Runway |
+3 |
2x30mm DEFA 553 Autocannons, 9 Hardpoints |
280x30mm |
|
Kfir C10/C12 |
Flare/Chaff Dispensers (50/30), RWR, Secure Radios, IFF, ECM 2, IRCM 1,
HUD Interface, Laser Designator (30 km), Track While Scan, Target ID,
Multitarget (2) |
650/750m
Hardened Runway |
+3 |
2x30mm DEFA 553 Autocannons, 9 Hardpoints |
280x30mm |
|
Kfir Block 60 |
Flare/Chaff Dispensers (50/30), RWR, Secure Radios, IFF, ECM 2, IRCM 1,
HUD Interface, Laser Designator (30 km), Track While Scan, Target ID,
Multitarget (3) |
650/750m
Hardened Runway |
+3 |
2x30mm DEFA 553 Autocannons, 9 Hardpoints |
280x30mm |
|
Kfir NG |
Flare/Chaff Dispensers (50/30), RWR, Secure Radios, IFF, ECM 2, IRCM 1,
HUD Interface, Laser Designator (30 km), Track While Scan, Target ID,
Multitarget (3), Auto Track |
650/750m
Hardened Runway |
+4 |
2x30mm DEFA 553 Autocannons, 9 Hardpoints |
280x30mm |