Nesher

The Nesher, a single‑engine, low‑wing jet fighter, was Israel’s first indigenously produced combat aircraft. Developed in the late 1960s by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) from the French Dassault Mirage 5, the program was launched after France halted arms sales to Israel following the Six‑Day War. Using the Mirage’s airframe as a template, IAI built the first prototype in 1969 and entered operational service with the Israeli Air Force in 1971. The Nesher is powered by a single SNECMA Atar 09K‑50 turbo‑jet delivering 13,900 lbf thrust, and it retains the Mirage’s characteristic swept wings, tricycle landing gear, and internal weapons bay. Avionics were locally upgraded, including a French‑built radar, a heads‑up display, and a NATO‑compatible hardpoint arrangement allowing carriage of air‑to‑air missiles, bombs and rockets. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War the Nesher proved its combat worth, achieving air superiority and ground‑attack missions with a low loss rate. Production continued until 1977, after which the platform was sold to the Colombian and Ecuadorian air forces, where it remained in service for decades. The Nesher marked a decisive step toward Israeli self‑sufficiency in fighter technology and laid the groundwork for later indigenous aircraft such as the IAI Kfir and Lavi.

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

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