Israel Aerospace Industries,
isIsrael's
majoraerospaceandaviationmanufacturer,
producing aerial and astronautic
systems for bothmilitaryand
civilian usage. It has 14,000
employees as of 2021. IAI is
state-owned by the government of
Israel.
PHOTOS
Business
Aircraft
Military AIrcraft
IAI-1124 Westwind
Gulfstream
200
Galaxy
Kfir
HISTORY
Israel Aerospace Industries
was founded in 1953 as Bedek
Aviation Company under the
initiative ofShimon
Peres, then director general
of the Ministry of Defense,
in order to maintain Israel
Defense Forces aircraft.The
company originally had 70
employees and recruited
American born aviation
expertAl
Schwimmeras
the company's founder and
first president.
In 1959 Bedek began
manufacturing its first
aircraft, aV-tailedtwinjet
trainer of French design,
theFouga
CM.170 Magister, locally
calledTzukit(Monticola).
TheTzukitbecame
theIsraeli Air
Forceprincipal
trainer for 50 years. The
IAITzukitwas
also used in the 1967Six-Day
Warby147
Squadronas a
close support aircraft,
attacking targets on the
Egyptian front during the
first day of the war, when
Israel's more capable combat
aircraft were deployed
against Arab air bases and
aircraft.They
were then deployed againstJordanianforces,
including armour, on theWest
Bank. The Magister proved
effective at the
close-support mission albeit
with heavy casualties, with
six being lost.
The first aircraft to be
fully designed and built by
IAI, theIAI
Aravashort
take-off and landing
transport aircraft, first
flew in 1969 after three
years of development.
In response to theFrench
embargo,
IAI began developing its own
fighter aircraft, a
derivative of theMirage
5called
theIAI
Nesher("hawk"),
in 1968. The Nesher entered
service in 1971, in time for
theYom
Kippur War.
The Nesher was followed by
theIAI
Kfir("lion
cub"), which was developed
as a result of Israel's need
for adapting theDassault
Mirage IIIto
the specific requirements of
the Israeli Air Force. TheKfirentered
service with the IAF in
1975.
In 1969 IAI acquiredNorth
American Rockwell'sJet
Commanderseries
of business aircraft. This
became the basis for theIAI
Westwindline.
Work on an improved Westwind
– named the Astra – began in
the late 1970sby
stretching the fuselage and
designing a new swept wing,
with the first prototype
flight occurring on 19 March
1984.The
first production Astra flew
on 20 March 1985,FAAcertification
came on 29 August 1985 and
customer deliveries started
in 1986.
In 1980 the Government of
Israel decided to use the
experience IAI had
accumulated to develop and
manufacture a modern fighter
plane to be the mainstay of
theIsrael
Air Force.
The aircraft, called theIAI
Lavi,
was to be a superior attack
aircraft with advanced
weapons systems. It had its
rollout in July 1986 and
successful maiden flight in
December 1986.However, the
program was cancelled due to
budget cuts.
In December 1997, theIAI
Galaxy, a business jet with
an intercontinental range
developed as ajoint
ventureGalaxy
Aerospace with theHyatt
Corporation, made its first
flight and entered service
in 2000. In May 2001,
General Dynamics'Gulfstream
Aerospacebought
IAI's Galaxy Aerospace Co.
L.P. unit for $330 million,
although IAI continues to
perform the most of the
assembly and development of
the jets which are marketed
by Gulfstream.
In 2003, Israel Aircraft
Industries attempted to
enter the VLJ (very light
jet) Market by launching theAvocet
ProJet, a 6–8 seat high
utilization air taxi with a
list price almost half the
cost of the least expensive
business jet available at
that time. In early 2006,
ProJet development stalled
after a major undisclosed USOEMpulled
out of the program due to
unspecified reasons.
The company was working with
theAviation
Technology Groupon
a military trainer version
of theATG
Javelin, a fighter style
personal jet. The version
being developed would have
competed against a large
field of jet trainers at a
much lower cost of
acquisition and maintenance.
ATG halted development of
the Javelin in 2008 due to a
lack of funds.
On 6 November 2006, IAI
changed its corporate name
from "Israel Aircraft
Industries Ltd." to "Israel
Aerospace Industries Ltd.";
to more accurately reflect
the current scope of the
firm's business activities,
which includes not just
aircraft, but also systems,
satellites and launchers, as
well as maritime and ground
systems.
On 4 September 2012, theGulfstream
G280,
a new twin-engine business
jet built by IAI, received
full certification from theFederal
Aviation Administration(FAA).
In
addition to local
construction of fighter
aircraft, IAI also designs
and builds civil aircraft
(including for Gulfstream
with aircraft such as the
G100/G150 and G200/G250
mid-sized business jets) and
performs local maintenance
and reconfiguration of
foreign-built military and
civilian aircraft. In
addition, the company works
on a number of missile,
avionics, and space-based
systems.
Although IAI's main focus is
aviation and high-tech
electronics, it also
manufactures military
systems for ground and naval
forces. Many of these
products are specially
suited for the Israel
Defense Forces needs, while
others are also marketed to
foreign militaries.
Source:
Wikipedia
AIRCRAFT
IAI-1121 Jet Commander
1969
Originated as North
American Rockwell
1121 Jet Commander
IAI-1123 Commodore Jet
1971
Stretched 1121, GE
CJ610-9 turbojets,
thrust reversers,
wing-tip tanks, APU