The Kfir is a multirole combat aircraft developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in the 1970s; its development establishes proof that Israel has a genius touch for military aviation.
Designed to be superior to the Mirage III, the Kfir was built to meet the Israeli Air Force’s need for a versatile fighter bomber with a boost in performance.
The General Electric J79 engine gives the Kfir the capability for supersonic speed levels of up to Mach 2.3 while also presenting it with advanced electronic warfare capabilities, which makes it a strong aerial power.
Equipped with an integrated electronic warfare suite comprised of radar warning receivers, missile approach warning systems, and self-protection jammers, the Kfir can, accordingly, interfere with enemy radar as well as missile guidance systems.
Its advanced avionics also give it the ability to carry a wide range of air-to-air as well as air-to-ground weaponry, including the Python 4 and Python 5 missiles, AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-84 Harpoon, and AGM-142 Popeye.
The aircraft’s ability to interoperate with systems in American and European weapons further adds to this versatility.
First flown by Israel in 1975, it proved to be one of the busiest air-to-ground aircraft at the time of the 1982 Lebanon War.
Use was discontinued when the F-16 Fighting Falcon proved significantly superior, and advanced avionics aboard those aircraft made them preferred over the Kfir.
It now flies only with the Israeli Air Force, although exported to Colombia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, and the United States for aggressor training.
The M-346 advanced trainer aircraft has established an upward trajectory within the international market since its introduction in the early 2010s.
Out of the gate, the M-346 easily surpassed the T-50 in key advanced trainer contracts to the UAE, Singapore, Israel, and Poland because of its effective Integrated Training System (ITS) and lower price. On the other hand, the M-346 faced competition from the British Hawk in the Middle East and the FA-50 from the LIFT/LCA market.
Despite this, exports of the M-346 stalled after Poland placed an order with complaints relating to delayed delivery and suboptimal performances from its training simulators. FA-50 had better performance, a greater internal fuel capacity, and experience with combat, hence becoming a good choice for countries such as Poland and Malaysia.
The M-346FA, which appeared in 2017, was a bridge to fill the capabilities and varieties of operable weapons it carried that had radar capability. However, without real competition from the FA-50, and the advanced systems using medium-to-long-range missiles, the promise of the multirole light fighter/attack aircraft seemed to make it more appealing for countries.
Global trends have now shifted to high-performance supersonic trainers like the T-50 series in the quest for robust tactical forces; thus, the FA-50 has to be appreciated as a record holder of practical combat experience combined with the ability to perform advanced training and light attack missions.
Of course, with the M-346 slowly finding its place within the advanced trainer market, the FA-50’s wide range of capabilities and adaptability to the ever-changing forces of military demand at large make it a strong competitive standing among competitors.