IAI Nammer
| Nammer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | Israel |
| Manufacturer | IAI |
| First flight | 21 March 1991 |
| Number built | 1 |
The IAI Nammer (נמר "Leopard", but also in Hebrew meaning "Tiger") was a fighter aircraft developed in Israel in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a modernised version of the Kfir for the export market. Although a prototype was built and flown, buyers were not forthcoming and development was ceased without any further examples being constructed. The avionics of the Nammer were to have taken advantage of the work undertaken for the cancelled Lavi project.
As initially announced, the Nammer was to be an upgrade package for existing Mirage III and Mirage 5 airframes. Customers would be offered a choice of two configurations, one based around re-engining the aircraft with a General Electric F404, the other around retaining the Mirage's SNECMA Atar engine but integrating the Elta EL/M-2011 or EL/M-2032 fire-control radar. The first of these options maximised performance and range, the second maximised the aircraft's air-to-air targeting capabilities. As development progressed, the Nammer came to be advertised as a new-build aircraft with the EL/M-2032 an integral part of the package, with customers able to choose their preferred engine from the F404 (or its Volvo derivative, the RM-12), the SNECMA M53, or the Pratt & Whitney PW1120.
The design strongly resembled the Kfir C-7, but was easily distinguished by its longer nose and lack of a dorsal airscoop at the base of the leading edge of the tailfin. The asking price was $US 20 million, and IAI stated that it would not commence production without orders for 80 aircraft.
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