The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir ( Hebrew : ???? , "lion cub"), known simply as the Kfir , is an Israeli - made 3.5 generation or 3++ Mirage family supersonic multirole fighter aircraft , designed by the company Israel Aircraft Industries for the Israeli Defense Forces . In United States Navy nomenclature , this aircraft is designated F-21A Lion . The IAI Kfir is based on the structure of the IAI Nesher fighter aircraft , this being, in turn, a development of the Dassault Mirage 5 , thanks to the industrial espionage work carried out by the Mossad .

The Mossad's achievement was obtaining the original plans for the French-made Mirage 5 fighter-bomber , after the embargo decreed by General Charles de Gaulle 's government on exporting the Mirage 5J , which Israel had purchased. 1? The Kfir , however, was not a simple copy, but the project involved development and improvements over the original Mirage . Among them, it is worth highlighting the innovative Israeli-made avionics and the propulsion by a version of the General Electric J79 engine , 2 instead of the SNECMA Atar 09C engine of the Mirage .

In addition to serving in the Israeli Air Force , the IAI Kfir was later used by other countries, including Colombia , Ecuador , the United States 3 (by the United States Navy and Marine Corps ), and Sri Lanka . Although the Kfir were decommissioned in both Israel and the United States, they still continue to serve in Colombia, Ecuador and Sri Lanka.

In total, a total of 212 IAI Kfir in all its versions were manufactured . 4? To replace this model, Israel developed the IAI Lavi , a project that would eventually be abandoned due to pressure in favor of the United States F-16 for adoption by the Israeli Air Force.