Test pilot Assaf Ben-Nun flying Lockheed KC-130 Hercules 4X-JYU an May 15, 1985 - this was the first of four examples converted into tankers for Singapore.
Bedek began to refurbish surplus IDF/AF aircraft for re-export to the North American market. A C-46 Commando being transferred to the Bedek facility in 1955.
Test pilots Yochanan Rozer and 'Danny' Shapira took the first upgraded Zukit for its maiden flight in September 1980.
Work on the first Fouga Jet trainer to be assembled by Bedek.
Fouga 4X-FDA served as the Bedek pattern aircraft for the establishment of the local production line. It was designated BK-101 with BK standing for Bedek.
The first Fouga to be produced by IAI was formally handed over to the IDF/AF an July 6, 1960.
Full-scale model of the B-101 business jet revealing its Fouga ancestry.
The IAI Lahav plant in the summer of 2000 with IDF/AF F-16Ds undergoing D-Level maintenance, Turkish F-4Es being upgraded, Sri Lankan Kfirs being prepared for delivery and their MiG-21 upgrade demonstrator.
With diminishing demand to upgrade 1950s, 1960s and 1970s generation fighters, IAI formally launched the F-16 ACE (Air Combat Enhancement) project on December 2, 1998, in collaboration with most of the advanced Israeli aerospace industries. Demonstrator 4X-ACE was first flown on June 5, 2001.
The F-5 upgrade programme required IAI to develop its first major upgrade suit for a combat aircraft that was not in IDF/AF service.
The IAI Lahav plant in the summer of 2000 with IDF/AF F-16Ds undergoing D-Level maintenance, Turkish F-4Es being upgraded, Sri Lankan Kfirs being prepared for delivery and their MiG-21 upgrade demonstrator.
Colombian Kfir 3043 at IAI in February 1988. The contract for the purchase of 13 Kfirs was officially announced in October 1988, with deliveries commencing the following year.
Kfir production line in 1975.
Menachem Shmul in the Lavi B-1 for its second flight on January 8, 1987, with Adi Benaya piloting the chase Kfir TC2 308.
Test pilot Assaf Ben-Nun first flew the Kfir prototype 712 on August 9, 1974.
IAI aircraft product line in August 1975.
Ra'am (Thunder) B was the codename of the project that entered IDF/AF service in 1975 as the Kfir.
The first Bedek hangar under construction in 1954 - though a Beech Bonanza, an Airspeed Consul and a Boeing PT-17, as well as a Spitfire, can be seen inside the yet-to-be completed structure.
The first major export contract won by Bedek was the sale of 30 ex-IDF/AF Spitfires to Burma. Shown just prior to departure from Israel, UB422, UB450 and UB442 were the last to be delivered and were ferried from Israel to Burma during October 9-18, 1955.
The first Bedek hangar under construction in 1954 - though a Beech Bonanza, an Airspeed Consul and a Boeing PT-17, as well as a Spitfire, can be seen inside the yet-to-be completed structure.
IDF/AF Stratocruiser 5815 was flown during the IAI military modification process (between April 1962 and April 1967) with the civil register 4X-FOF and the IAI in-house designation A-125.
The swing tail modification of the ex-PanAm Stratocruisers constituted the first major aeronautical engineering effort at IAI.
The first major rotary wing upgrade programme for IAI was the Yas'ur (Albatross) 2000 project that began in June 1990 when IDF/AF Sikorsky S-65C-3 544 was delivered to IAI.
The F-5 upgrade programme required IAI to develop its first major upgrade suit for a combat aircraft that was not in IDF/AF service.
The IAI Lahav plant in the summer of 2000 with IDF/AF F-16Ds undergoing D-Level maintenance, Turkish F-4Es being upgraded, Sri Lankan Kfirs being prepared for delivery and their MiG-21 upgrade demonstrator.
The BQM-155 Hunter production hall at the IAI Malat plant. IAI won the US Army contract in September 1989, and what became the RQ-5 in US service emerged as a valuable intelligence asset during deployment to the Balkans. The Hunter was also purchased by France and Belgium.
Switzerland was early to realise the potential of using UAVs, and the Ranger was specifically developed to operate from snow-covered surfaces. Following a protracted evaluation process that lasted for more than a decade, the Swiss contract was finally announced on September 1995, with Finland following the Swiss lead in July 1999.
The Arava prototype 4X-IAI was first flown on November 27, 1969, but crashed during the final flutter test on November 19, 1970.
Arava 4X-IAO was modified as a test-bed for the installation of winglets, flying for the first time on June 2, 1976.
IAI aircraft product line in August 1975.
During the 1980s the Arava was adapted as an EW platform.
The first Bedek hangar under construction in 1954 - though a Beech Bonanza, an Airspeed Consul and a Boeing PT-17, as well as a Spitfire, can be seen inside the yet-to-be completed structure.
Commodore Jet 4X-COJ was manufactured in 1965 as a Model 1121. At first converted to an Aero Commander 1122 development aircraft, it became a Model 1123 development aircraft in 1969 but was lost in an accident on January 21, 1970.
IAI aircraft product line in August 1975.
IAI was a pioneer in the use of winglets on commercial aircraft. Westwind 4X-CMK was converted as the model 1124A prototype and was first flown in its new guise on April 24, 1979.
Westwind 1123 4X-CKE was the second model 1124 prototype.
Westwind 1123 4X-CJA was first flown as the model 1124 prototype on July 21, 1975.
Development of the Searcher UAV as a successor to the Scout was launched in the late 1980s.
The first Searcher for the IDF/AF was rolled out on November 12, 1991, and the first system was formally handed over to the IDF/AF on July 16, 1992. In addition to the home customer, the Searcher was reportedly exported to India, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
В боях в долине Бекаа широко использовались дистанционно управляемые ЛА как ложные объекты, так и для разведки. На снимке: комплект IAI Scout с телекамерой под стеклянным обтекателем и другим разведдоборудованием. Символ в виде кедра на боку обозначает 14 успешно выполненных боевых операций над Ливаном.
The Scout UAV system entered IDF/AF service in 1981 and played a significant role in the destruction of the Syrian SAM network in Lebanon during the June 1982 Lebanon War. It could be operated conventionally from an airstrip, taking off and landing just like an aircraft or it could be catapulted from a mobile launcher and recovered by a net.
Menachem Shmul in the Lavi B-1 for its second flight on January 8, 1987, with Adi Benaya piloting the chase Kfir TC2 308.
Test pilot Menchem Shmul took to the air for the first time in the prototype Lavi on December 31, 1986.
The Astra prototype 4X-WIN was first flown on March 19, 1984, with the second prototype, 4X-WIA, following in August of the same year.
The Helstar rotary wing maritime UAV that was first flown July 18, 1990, was probably ahead of its time. The project was shelved in 1992 partly because of an inadequate automatic landing system and partly due to a lack of interest from the Israeli Navy.
First flown on October 18, 1994, the Heron is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV that, in 1995, demonstrated its ability to fly as high as 32,000ft and for over 51 flight hours.
The first Bedek hangar under construction in 1954 - though a Beech Bonanza, an Airspeed Consul and a Boeing PT-17, as well as a Spitfire, can be seen inside the yet-to-be completed structure.
The most comprehensive Boeing 707 modification was the Chilean Condor project that turned the jetliner into an AEW platform with the Elta EL/M-2075 Phalcon. Tested in Israel as 4X-JYI, the Chilean Phalcon was first flown on May 12, 1993, with official hand-over following on May 2, 1995.
Adi Benaya demonstrated the Super Phantom at the June 1987 Paris Airshow.
Test pilot Assaf Ben-Nun flying Lockheed KC-130 Hercules 4X-JYU an May 15, 1985 - this was the first of four examples converted into tankers for Singapore.
The IAI Lahav plant in the summer of 2000 with IDF/AF F-16Ds undergoing D-Level maintenance, Turkish F-4Es being upgraded, Sri Lankan Kfirs being prepared for delivery and their MiG-21 upgrade demonstrator.
The Technology test-bed was a Dassault Mirage IIIBJ two-seater modified with a General Electric J79 turbojet and carrying test equipment in the rear cockpit.
Test pilot Assaf Ben-Nun flying Lockheed KC-130 Hercules 4X-JYU an May 15, 1985 - this was the first of four examples converted into tankers for Singapore.
