A Homemade Jet for Israel

TO express his displeasure over the Six-Day War, French President Charles de Gaulle embargoed military sales to Jerusalem. As a result, the Israelis were denied delivery of 50 Mirage5 fighter-bombers for which they had already paid $67 million. Now, after attempts to get the planes from post-De Gaulle France, Israel has developed its own version of the Mirage. The homemade jet has been successfully test-flown at least three times.

The new plane, dubbed the Super-Mirage by Israeli flyers, is a light, swift jet that can reach speeds of at least Mach 1.5, operates at low altitudes and utilizes short runways. It will carry three tons of bombs, two 20-mm. cannon, and possibly a third gun called the Vulcan, which is electrically operated and fires 6,000 rounds a minute through six barrels. The Super-Mirage is equipped with a U.S.-manufactured J-79 General Electric engine similar to the one that powers U.S.-built Phantoms. Israeli engineers have also installed the J-79 in their older Mirage3 jets, replacing the French Atar engines. As a result, they have better aircraft: the switch has boosted Mirage3 speeds by 20%.

The Israelis patterned their plane largely after France's high-performance Mirage-3, with which they had extensive experience. Because they helped France in the development of the more sophisticated Mirage-5, they were familiar with that model as well. The Israelis may also have been helped by a Swiss engineer who is awaiting trial on charges of stealing 132,000 Mirage3 blueprints and selling them to Israel for $200,000. The blueprints were said to have detailed the manufacture of Mirage tools and dies as well as diagramming the multiple parts of the jet itself. -

Beginning in 1972, Super-Mirages will be turned out at a one-a-month rate by Israel Aircraft Industry, a government-owned company that is increasing its work force from 12,000 to 20,000 people. Eventually the output is to be doubled. Other factories meanwhile have begun turning out Israeli tanks. So far, the most successful of these has been a hybrid that can operate in both desert and mountains. It mates the low silhouette and turret design of the Russian T-54 (Israel captured nearly 400 of them in the Six-Day War) with the periscope, stabilizers and range finders of the British Centurion and the transmission and engine of the U.S. Patton tank. Another Israeli tank is part Patton and part Centurion. Some Israelis jokingly call the result of this mix a Panturion.

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