Prototype No. 2 of the Lavi, Israel’s second generation jet fighter-bomber, had its first test flight Tuesday. The manufacturer, Israel Aviation Industries (IAI), expressed satisfaction with the results but gave no indication of how the second prototype differs from the first model, which has undergone 23 test flights over the past two months.
Unlike previous Lavi flights, flown by IAI’s chief test pilot, Menachem Shmul, the pilot Tuesday was an Israel Air Force combat veteran whose name was not disclosed. He put the second prototype through easy paces, cruising over central Israel at subsonic speeds of 150-350 mph. at an altitude of no more than 20,000 feet.
The Lavi development program calls for 1,800 test flights of five prototype models over the next three years. But the program is in deep trouble regarding costs. The U.S. Defense Department has urged Israel to abandon the Lavi because of estimated high costs in favor of an American-built plane such as the advanced F-16C. Many in the Israeli defense establishment agree.
IAI, meanwhile, is not relying on military orders. Its American representatives, Atlantic Aviation, announced Monday the sale of four more of its Westwind executive jets in the U.S. So, far 250 Westwinds have been sold in North America.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
