Israel Aerospace Industries or IAI is Israel's prime aerospace and aviation manufacturer,
producing aerial systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 16,000 employees
as of 2007. IAI is wholly owned by the government of Israel.
In addition to local construction of fighter aircraft, IAI also designs and builds civil
aircraft and performs local maintenance and reconfiguration of foreign-built military
and civilian aircraft. In addition, the company works on a number of missile, avionics, and
space-based systems. Although IAI's main focus is aviation and
high-tech electronics, it also manufactures military systems for ground and naval forces.
Many of these products are specially suited for the Israel Defense Forces needs, while
others are also marketed to foreign militaries.
History
Israel Aerospace Industries was founded in 1953 as Bedek Aviation Company under the initiative
of Shimon Peres, then director general of the Ministry of Defense, in order to maintain
Israel Defense Forces aircraft. The company originally had 70 employees and recruited
American born aviation expert Al Schwimmer as the company's founder and first president.
First aircraft manufacturing
In 1959 Bedek began manufacturing its first aircraft, a V-tailed twinjet trainer of French
design, the Fouga Magister, locally called Tzukit. The Tzukit became the Israeli Air
Force principal trainer for 50 years. The IAI Tzukit was also used in the 1967 Six Day
War by 147 Squadron as a close support aircraft, attacking targets on the Egyptian front during
the first day of the war, when Israel's more capable combat aircraft were deployed on Operation
Focus against Arab air bases. They were then deployed against Jordanian forces, including
armour, on the West Bank. The Magister proved effective at the close-support mission albeit
with heavy casualties, with six being lost. The first aircraft to be fully designed and
built by IAI, the IAI Arava STOL transport aircraft, first flew in 1969 after three years
of development. The French embargo impact
In response to the French embargo, IAI began developing its own fighter aircraft, a derivative
of the Mirage 5 called the IAI Nesher, in 1968. The Nesher entered service in 1971,
in time for the Yom Kippur War. The Nesher was followed by the IAI Kfir, which was developed
as a result of Israel's need for adapting the Dassault Mirage III to the specific requirements
of the Israeli Air Force. The Kfir entered service with the IAF in 1975, the first units
being assigned to the 101st "First Fighter" Squadron. Over the following years, several
other squadrons were also equipped with the new aircraft. The Kfir's first recorded combat
action took place on 9 November 1977, during an Israeli air strike on a training camp at
Tel Azia, in Lebanon. The only air victory claimed by a Kfir during its service with
the IAF occurred on 27 June 1979 when a Kfir C.2 shot down a Syrian MiG-21.
The IAI Kfir has been exported to Colombia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka and was leased to the US
Navy and the US Marine Corps from 1985 to 1989, to act as adversary aircraft in dissimilar
air combat training. Diversification
In 1969 IAI acquired North American Rockwell's Jet Commander series of business aircraft.
This became the basis for the IAI Westwind line. Work on an improved Westwind the Astra,
by stretching the fuselage and designing a new swept wing, began in the late 1970s, with
the first prototype flight on 19 March 1984. The first production Astra flew on 20 March
1985, FAA certification came on 29 August 1985 and customer deliveries started in 1986.
In the 1960s, IAI developed the Gabriel anti-ship missile and the Elta Electronics Industries
subsidiary developed an inexpensive aircraft radar which would become a successful export
item. In the 1970s IAI developed the Dabur class patrol boat
In the 1970s IAI also entered the Unmanned aerial vehicle market with the development
of the IAI Scout. In 1984, IAI formed a joint venture with rival Israeli company Tadiran
to market both companies' UAV's, the Tadiran Mastiff and the IAI Scout.
Developing the maintenance, repair and overhaul business
By 1980s the original Bedek maintenance business was conducting extensive overhauls on dozens
of different aircraft types, working on engines as well as airframes and interiors, IAI could
provide more comprehensive refurbishments than even the aircraft manufacturers themselves.
The unit had 4,000 employees by the mid-1980s and overhauled a huge range of aircraft, from
propeller-driven trainers to airliners; including big civil aviation programs, such as conversion
of Boeing 747s to freighters. The Lavi Program
In 1980 the Government of Israel took the decision to use the experience IAI had accumulated
to develop and manufacture a modern fighter plane to be the mainstay of the Israel Air
Force. The aircraft, called the IAI Lavi, was to be a superior attack aircraft with
advanced weapons systems. It had its rollout in July 1986 and successful maiden flight
in December 1986. In August 1987, after extensive government
deliberations, the decision was made to cancel the Lavi program, due to the questioning of
Israel's economic ability to support the cost of such an extensive program. This led to
a serious crisis at IAI which necessitated a major reorganization of the company's structure
and business strategy; the company's work force of more than 22,000 people, was cut
by 5,500 in 1988 . However, the Lavi program was credited with developing a number of advanced
technologies that IAI was able to market. 1990s onwards - Export led growth
By 1989 IAI posted a profit of $11.8 million on sales of $1.28 billion. The company had
four divisions—Aircraft, Aviation, Electronics, and Technologies—and 17 factories. IAI was
established as a world leader in upgrading aircraft. Planes such as the Vietnam-era McDonnell
Douglas F-4 Phantom II were modernized with advanced avionics and weaponry.
In the 1990s IAI entered the space race with the AMOS communications satellites and Ofeq
observation satellites. In December 1997, the IAI Galaxy, a business
jet with an intercontinental range developed as a joint venture Galaxy Aerospace with the
Hyatt Corporation, made its first flight and entered service in 2000. In May 2001, General
Dynamic's Gulfstream Aerospace bought IAI's Galaxy Aerospace Co. L.P. unit for $330 million.
In 2003, Israel Aircraft Industries attempted to enter the VLJ Market by launching the Avocet
ProJet, a 6-8 seat high utilization air taxi with a list price almost half the cost of
the least expensive business jet available at that time. In early 2006, ProJet development
stalled after a major undisclosed US OEM pulled out of the program due to unspecified reasons.
The company was working with the Aviation Technology Group on a military trainer version
of the ATG Javelin, a fighter style personal jet. The version being developed would have
compete against a large field of jet trainers at a much lower cost of acquisition and maintenance.
ATG halted development of the Javelin in 2008 due to a lack of funds.
In March 2004 IAI signed a $1.1 billion contract with India to install three Phalcon AWACS
planes, using radars modified from the Lavi program on Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 transports.
On 6 November 2006, IAI changed its corporate name from "Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd."
to "Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd."; to more accurately reflect the current scope
of the firm's business activities, which includes not just aircraft, but also systems, satellites
and launchers, as well as maritime and ground systems.
On 13 April 2009, the Moscow Times reported that the Russian Defense Ministry had signed
an agreement with Israel Aerospace to purchase $50 million in pilotless drone aircraft. The
contract reportedly includes three types of UAVs manufactured by the company.
In January 2012, IAI announced a sale of $1.1 billion of defense systems to an Asian country.
The deal has been signed but the company did not name the buyer. It was reported that the
sale will include IAI aircraft, missiles and intelligence technologies. Transparency International
has rated IAI as one of the least diligent companies in the fight against corruption
and bribery. On 4 September 2012, the Gulfstream G280,
a new twin-engine business jet built by IAI, received full certification from the Federal
Aviation Administration. Products
Civilian Aircraft Arava - Medium sized STOL transport aircraft
Westwind - Business jet Astra/Galaxy - Business jets
IAI Avocet ProJet - Revolutionary Very Light Jet [1]
Civilian Air Systems Conversion of passenger aircraft to cargo
aircraft B737-300
B737-400 B767-200
B767-300 B747-200
B747-400 Other models in development
Flight Guard infrared countermeasures system against MANPAD anti-aircraft missiles
Military Aircraft 377M Anak - conversions done to several ex-Pan
American World Airways Boeing 377 Stratocruiser airliners in to heavy lift military cargo
aircraft after the United States refused the sale of the C-130 to the Israeli Air Force.
Lavi - an Israeli fighter jet, abandoned when the United States refused to fund a F-16 competitor.
Kfir - fighter jet. Nammer - fighter jet, updated version of the
Kfir. Nesher - fighter jet, derivative of the French
Mirage 5. ELTA-ELI-3001 - AISIS - Airborne Integrated
SIGINT System. CAEW Conformal Airborne Early Warning Aircraft
- based on the G550 and equipped with the phalcon radar.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs - unmanned aerial vehicles, manufactured
by IAI's MALAT division: Pioneer
RQ-5 Hunter Heron family of long-endurance unmanned aerial
vehicle Harpy
Eitan I-View
Harop Ranger
Scout Searcher
Skylite - Canister Launched mini-UAV system Bird-Eye family of mini-UAV
Panther Ghost
Military Air Systems Rafael Python 5 air-to-air missile
Upgrades to F-16 and F-15, and MiG-21 jet fighters
Upgrades to Sikorsky CH-53 Yas'ur in project "Yas'ur 2000"
Avionics upgrades for the Ka-50-2 Erdogan gunship in collaboration with Kamov
Phalcon air surveillance system Eitam - adaptations of a Gulfstream G550 for
airborne early warning and control Griffin LGB - a system for converting unguided
bombs into precision-guided munitions Ground defense systems
IDF Caterpillar D9R's armor kit JUMPER System
Unmanned skid steer loader "Front Runner" Unmanned IDF Caterpillar D9 remote-controlled
bulldozer Ground transportation
Assembly of IC3 diesel multiple unit trains and double-decker railway coaches under license
from Bombardier Transportation Taxibot, semi-robotic towbarless pushback
tractor. Naval Systems
Super Dvora Mk III class patrol boat [2] Super Dvora Mk II class patrol boat
Dvora class fast patrol boat Dabur class patrol boat
Missile Systems Arrow - Anti-ballistic missile system
Arrow 3 - Anti-ballistic missile system Barak 1 - Surface-to-air missile.
Barak 8 - Surface-to-air missile (jointly developed with DRDO of India.
Gabriel - Air-to-surface, surface-to-surface anti-ship missile.
Iron Dome - mobile all-weather air-defence system.
LAHAT - Anti-tank missile. LORA
Nimrod - Air-to-surface, surface-to-surface missile.
Space Hardware EROS, Amos and Ofeq Satellite series
RISAT-2 satellite Shavit space launcher
Middle East Newsline has reported that IAI will launch one or more CubeSats by the end
of 2008. TecSAR reconnaissance satellite, launched
on 21 January 2008 Manufacturing plants
official org-chart Systems, Missiles & Space Group
Malam - integration Mabat - missiles and satellites
Tamam - inertial guidance and electro-optic systems
Military Aircraft Group Lahav - aircraft upgrades
Mata - helicopter upgrades Golan Industries - crash survival seats and
other aircraft parts Malat - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Elta - Radars, electronic warfare and ELINT Bedek Aviation Group - MRO
Aircraft Division - Conversion of passenger aircraft to cargo aircraft, heavy aircraft
maintenance, Fleet Maintenance Engines Division - Repair and overhaul of
civil and military aircraft engines Components Division - Repair and overhaul
of civil and military aircraft components.
Commercial Aircraft Group Ramta - railcars, patrol boats, armor kits
for engineering vehicles etc. Aerostructures -
Shahal - landing gear and other aircraft parts
Technologies - Business Jets -
Engineering Division - aircraft manufacturing and integration
Maman - IT Services. mainly implementing and maintaining ERP/SAP Package.
See also Elta
Military equipment of Israel References
Relman, Paul. "IAI Astra: Israel's star-struck biz jet". Air International 45: pp. 313–319.
ISSN 0306-5634. External links
Israel Aerospace Industries - official site. MBT Space Division