Israel’s New Jet Fighter Shows Stuff in 1st Test Flight
TEL AVIV — The Lavi, Israel’s new jet fighter, zoomed into the sky today on its first test flight and landed 30 minutes later, Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin announced. The maiden flight was deemed a success.
Only Israeli military correspondents were allowed to watch the flight, which had been scheduled for September but was delayed by technical difficulties.
The Lavi, meaning Lion in Hebrew, is reported to have the most advanced electronic gear in the world. The Mach 1.85 aircraft, with delta wings and round cockpit, is to replace Israel’s aging U.S.-made A-4 Skyhawks, F-4 Phantoms and Israeli-made Kfirs.
Today’s flight came amid renewed U.S. pressure on Israel to drop the Lavi project, which is funded almost exclusively by the United States through its annual military aid appropriation to Israel of $1.8 billion.
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