It was sleek, agile, software-rich, and tailored to Israel’s unique defense needs.
By Hezy Laing
In the period preceding the Six Day War, Israel faced a sudden freeze in military support from its longtime European allies.
France halted deliveries of Mirage fighter jets and Saar 3 missile boats, while a covert deal with Britain for Chieftain tanks was also abruptly canceled.
This abrupt cutoff exposed Israel’s vulnerability and led its leaders to pursue a self-sufficient defense industry.
Their goal was twofold: to ensure that future military needs wouldn’t be jeopardized by foreign politics, and to create weapons systems tailored specifically to Israel’s strategic and operational demands.
This turning point marked the beginning of Israel’s transformation into a global innovator in defense technology.
So it was in the 1980s, that Israel set out to build what many experts still consider one of the most advanced jet fighters ever conceived: the IAI Lavi.
Designed by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), the Lavi was a fourth-generation multirole fighter meant to replace aging aircraft like the A-4 Skyhawk and Kfir.
It was sleek, agile, software-rich, and tailored to Israel’s unique defense needs.
Test pilots described its flight handling as “excellent,” and its semi-conformal weapons carriage allowed for high-speed missions with minimal drag.
The Lavi combined advanced aerodynamics, fly-by-wire controls, and cutting-edge avionics in a compact, highly maneuverable frame.
Powered by a custom Pratt & Whitney PW1120 engine, it reached speeds of Mach 1.85 and carried heavy payloads over long distances.
Its semi-conformal weapons carriage reduced drag, enhancing performance.
Designed specifically for Israel’s strategic needs, it rivaled the F-16 in capability but offered superior adaptability and cost-efficiency.
Despite its huge promise, the Lavi was abandoned in 1987, just months after its first successful flight. Why? The reasons were as political as they were economic.
The project consumed nearly a third of Israel’s military budget, and the U.S.—which was funding 40% of the program—feared the Lavi would compete with its own F-16 on the export market.
Under pressure from Washington and facing internal opposition, the Israeli cabinet voted 12–11 to cancel the program.
The IAI had produced three prototypes, out of the five originally planned, when the Israeli government decided to cancel the project, on August 30th 1987.
The decision was met with demonstrations by the IAI workers – but to no avail. The IAI laid off close to 5,000 employees.
The fallout was immense. Supporters like Moshe Arens, a key figure behind the Lavi, argued that had it continued, Israel would now be flying “the world’s most advanced fighter”.
Instead, Israel pivoted to purchasing American jets and investing in other indigenous technologies like drones and missile defense.
The cancellation weakened Israel’s ability to shape future aircraft to its needs, leaving it dependent on foreign platforms like the F-35, which lack the customization the Lavi was built to provide.
Yet the Lavi’s legacy lives on.
Its development seeded Israel’s aerospace industry with talent and innovation that later powered systems like the Iron Dome, Arrow missile defense, and Heron UAVs.
