Atlas CAVA
| Atlas Carver | |
|---|---|
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| National origin | South Africa |
| Manufacturer | Atlas Aircraft Corporation |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Primary user | South African Air Force (proposed) |
| Number built | None; 1 prototype unfinished |
| Program cost | US$2 billion |
| Developed from | Atlas Cheetah |
The Atlas Carver (sometimes erroneously referred to as "CAVA") was a proposed South African twin-engine, delta wing fourth-generation fighter aircraft. In development during the 1980s and early 1990s, the Carver was ultimately cancelled during 1991.
The South African Border War played a considerable role in stimulating the demand for the production of a modern fighter aircraft within which to equip the South African Air Force (SAAF), with in the face of increasingly capable opposition. Additionally, South Africa was incapable of importing such aircraft due to a long-standing arms embargo having been placed upon the nation's government bodies by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418. The South African government decided to launch a pair of domestically-conducted programmes, a short-term upgrade programme of the existing fleet of French-built Dassault Mirage III fighters, which became known as the Atlas Cheetah, while a long-term and more extensive effort to design and manufacture a virtually-clean sheet fighter aircraft, known as Project Carver. Both programmes were headed by South African firm Atlas Aircraft Corporation.
As envisioned, Carver was intended to be a modern and capable successor aircraft to replace multiple, ageing types then in service with the SAAF, such as the British-built Blackburn Buccaneer, French-built Mirage IIIs, and the Atlas Cheetahs. A key objective for the new fighter was to achieve performance levels that were either equal to or in excess of the capabilities of late-generation Soviet fighters, which were increasingly likely to be deployed to neighbouring states, specifically Angola. Externally, the Carver bore some resemblance to the Dassault Mirage 4000 prototype; the design drew upon several elements of Dassault Aviation's Mirage family, including the decision to incorporate a number of Snecma engine components which were produced under licence in South Africa. While being a heavily indigenous effort, partially due to the embargo, South Africa was able to acquire substantial assistance on Project Carver from both France and Israel; many aerospace engineers and designers were hired from these nations, while unknown quantities of technical information related to Israel's aborted IAI Lavi programme was also provided. During February 1991, the cancellation of Project Carver was announced by South African President F. W. de Klerk, stating the programme's costs to be too great to justify during peacetime. In its place, the procurement of foreign aircraft was studied; ultimately, the Swedish-built Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter was procured to equip the SAAF with instead.
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