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In the mid-1970s, Israel conceived an ambitious project to create its own heavy twin-engine fighter that could compete with the American F-15. The project was called “Aryeh”, which means “Lion” in Hebrew, and was supposed to be a breakthrough for the Israeli aviation industry.

Telegram channel “Alexey Zheleznov” writes about this.

The development was carried out by specialists from the IAI concern and the Israeli Air Force. The Arie was planned as a multi-role fighter with advanced technology. The design included a canard design, side air intakes, a double spaced keel and elements to reduce radar signature. The engines considered were F100, already used on the F-15, as well as F404GE.

It was planned to be equipped with a helmet-mounted target designation system, a digital control system and a powerful radar capable of detecting targets at low altitudes. The aircraft was supposed to reach a speed of up to 2.4 M, reach an altitude of 25,000 m and have a combat radius of 500 km when flying at low altitudes.

Weapons included a 30 mm cannon, medium-range air-to-air missiles, laser-guided bombs and nuclear weapons. The maximum combat load was 7,000 kg.

The plans were ambitious: completion of the design by 1979, the first flight of the prototype by the end of the same year, and by 1985 it was planned to put 100 aircraft into service. However, the project was not implemented.

The reason for the refusal was an agreement with the United States on the supply of F-15 and F-16, which were more economically beneficial for Israel. Despite this, the Arie project remained a symbol of Israeli aviation’s ambitions and its desire for technological independence.

Earlier, Cursor wrote that the Israeli tank took first place in the ranking of the best tanks according to analysts.

The top five included examples of tank equipment distinguished by advanced technologies and high combat effectiveness.