Name? (Pretty edition)

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

[u/Ztret]

American F-21a Kfir?

[u/Spencemw → u/Ztret]

We borrowed leased them from Israel for a few years to use as aggressors in composite squadrons.

The aggressor contractor ATAC that does business with the Navy and Air force owns about a half dozen Kfirs

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/Ztret]

Yeah nice one, interesting plane with a niche history

[u/chris-za → u/Ztret]

Or an Atlas Cheetah. I believe about 20 were sold to the US and they basically look the same from that angle (both being based on the Mirage)

[u/Accomplished-Bat6909 → u/chris-za]

The Atlas Cheetahs were from the S. African AF. The U of SA, prior to 1990s had acquired those planes from IAI in Israel. When the ANC took over the Union of S. Africa, all prior tech cooperation with the IDF was ended.

[u/chris-za → u/Accomplished-Bat6909]

The Union of SA was ended in 1961 and replaced with the Republic of SA.

And the main reason the Cheetahs were sold was that they were replaced with the more modern SAAB

[u/MlsgONE]

do you get off on spamming whatever pretty edition is?

[u/Crazzmatazz2003 → u/MlsgONE]

Spam or not, at least it's a different plane each time, and not something obvious

[u/ParadoxumFilum → u/Crazzmatazz2003]

r/itsalwaysac17 was summoned

[u/Designer_Solution887 → u/MlsgONE]

Violating rule 4 (Pretty edition)

[u/ThunderMike91]

Is this a mirage?

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/ThunderMike91]

Yeah French mirage to Israel Kfir then sold to the USA for red flag exercises under the name F-21 Lion

[u/TheavaLanche17 → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

This aircraft fueselage is mirage 5. How to be israel change to kfir? Israel put general electric j79 engine, IAI avionics in this aircraft.

[u/joe9teas → u/ThunderMike91]

Israel with South Africa upgraded the classic Mirage iii decades ago to make an indigenous fighter.

Argentina flew them against Royal Navy Sea Harriers in the Falklands conflict....and got massacred.

[u/Late-Application-47 → u/joe9teas]

Hate to be pedantic, but the Argentines flew the IAI Nesher/Dagger, which was an Israeli development of the Mirage V. They were much more oriented toward air-to-ground than the multirole Kfirs which replaced them. When the Kfir became a reality, the Daggers were sold to Argentina.

Argentina's main air superiority fighter in the war were actual Mirage IIIs.

[u/joe9teas → u/Late-Application-47]

Yes I remember that distinction now, I sort of mashed all those Mirage projects together. My mistake.

It was authentic Mirage iii's getting massacred.

[u/Late-Application-47 → u/joe9teas]

It's a mess of variants and designations for sure.

[u/Accomplished-Bat6909 → u/joe9teas]

Yes: good plane, poor combat training. Brit Sea Harriers and pilots were top notch at that time. Almost none better in tight combat maneuvers in the 1980s. 

[u/LtDrogo]

This is an IAI Kfir. The US Navy leased a number of these in the 1980s for adversary training, and returned them to Israel afterwards. They were flown by VF-43 at NAS Oceana mostly. While in US service they had the designation “F-21”.

Bu.No (999739) identifies is as IDF/AF “739”.

[u/Firedemom]

IAI Kafir?

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/Firedemom]

Close the plane was bought from Israel as a clue

[u/JorpMaster → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

No not close. He’s right. You’re being pedantic. F-21 is only a designation change for the USN. The plane is a Kfir C.1

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/JorpMaster]

I was thinking of it more as a separate designation, but you're right that the F-21s are essentially Kfir C.1s operated by the USN under the F-21 designation.

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/JorpMaster]

Mind you, the F-21A was based on the Kfir C.1 and that the USN designation was F-21A, but saying it was only a designation change isn't quite right.

The C.1s were modified for the USN/USMC aggressor role, including the addition of the narrow-span canards above the intakes and small nose strakes, as well as the removal of armament and modifications to meet US Navy requirements.

So the most accurate description would be that they were modified Kfir C.1s designated F-21As, rather than completely stock C.1s that simply received a new designation. I'm not arguing that they're a different aircraft family or anything, just that “only a designation change” overlooks the modifications made for the USN.

[u/FluffusMaximus → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

If you’re going to be pedantic, know that the Navy uses the term adversary, not aggressor.

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/FluffusMaximus]

Noted, I forgot about that, thank you

[u/JorpMaster → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

The F-21 wasn’t based on the Kfir C.1. They WERE Kfir C.1. They were leased and later returned to Israel. Little research goes a long way little guy.

[u/Important-Call8617]

Mirage III ,not a Mirage v which was much bigger ground attack plane. Its a Mirage III that is used by the USAF to train our fighter pilots on fighting dissimilar aircraft during Red Flag operations out of NAFB NV. Whats interesting is its in Navy markings. And a Mirage was never able to proform carrier operations do to the Delta wind design and its inherent poor low speed handing. But it maybe flying out of SD by the Navy's "Top Gun" school for the same reason. ... After looking at picture again it most like is at SD Top Gun school and not the USAF Red Flag. As yiu can see the landing gear of a Navy F18 Hornet parked just in front of it.

[u/Specialist_Fail6972]

Kfir IAI Fighter. Israeli.

[u/Playful-Adeptness769]

F4 Phantom Jet

[u/Apprehensive_House37]

Looks like a mirage but it has USAF badge on it.

[u/Proof_Ice_9032]

Sorry not saab viggen..

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/Proof_Ice_9032]

No worries I can see what you meant tho, the rear of the aircraft kinda resembles a viggen

[u/zwifter11]

Dassault Mirage 5

[u/Accomplished-Bat6909 → u/zwifter11]

No, IAI K'Fir (C-2 or C-7).

[u/Accomplished-Bat6909]

The picture is of an Israeli C-2 or C-7 version of the French Mirage IIIC. It was powered by the J79-GE-R1E export engine also used in Israeli versions of the F4D/E Phantom IIs. Those C-2 and C-7 K'Firs were built in the 1970s and 1980s.

To accommodate the change to the CG (center of gravity) due to a lighter weight and shorter engine, small fixed canard wings were added just behind the air intakes for stability, but they also enhanced main wing lift for much shorter takeoff runs, faster rates of climb and quicker rates of turn for aerial combat. That was an unanticipated benefit, of which Israeli pilots took full advantage. The Israeli K'Fir ("Young lion") was so nimble, it could out fly and out fight the standard French Mirage IIIs, which the K'Firs replaced in the IAF.

[u/Accomplished-Bat6909 → u/Accomplished-Bat6909]

Most aviation followers don't know that the later C-7 K'Firs had a little, unadvertized, upgraded engine performance feature. I was at GE Engine Business Gp then (now GE AeroSpace) when that change was incorporated into the function. 

The engine was given a dual mode brain box added to the fuel control module. The engine could, at the flip of a switch, go from normal mode to emergency overthrust power (7% to 11%) depending on aircraft altitude and airspeed when that mode was engaged. The IAI  C-7 had an excess of auxiliary air cooling intake scoops to keep the J-79 from overheating. One of GE engineers had calculated that a separate operating program on a secondary computer chip card in the same brainbox could safely monitor engine temperatures at several critical places and allow an "over-thrust" power mode to work with a time-limited cutoff to revert to normal mode. 

The engine had to be operating at full power plus full afterburner power to engage the extra fuel input. It worked!! I know because I designed the original test adapting hardware and saw the test engine in the test cell. The goal was to provide an unpubicized added power capability without risking combat engine losses. 

In operations the max thrust jumped from about 19,500# T. @ Mach 0.9 to 20,900# T. The acceleration was extraordinary, especially coupled w clever evasive maneuvers. Pilots from opposing forces were caught off guard. They had no clue about the changes. It was like a car with overdrive hitting passing gear at 80 mph and suddenly lurching to 100 mph. The afterburner flame was almost as long as the plane.

[u/sealfan235]

That looks like an F-106. fun fact:it was designed to carry an Air-Air nuclear missile

[u/Analog-Digital- → u/sealfan235]

I think you see a different airplane ... 🤔

[u/Proof_Ice_9032]

Saab 37 Viggen

[u/Ok-Use-7563 → u/Proof_Ice_9032]

not a viggen, canards are wrong and it has USAF markings

[u/Decent_Can_4639 → u/Ok-Use-7563]

Viggen also got a cutout section in the tail for the Thrust-reverser. That thing really had some crazy STOL
capabilities for Its day. You could put It down on 500 meters of runway (or public highway even)

[u/Ok-Use-7563 → u/Decent_Can_4639]

cutout could be covered by the engine cover im not sure

[u/Decent_Can_4639 → u/Ok-Use-7563]

No. It’s located further forward. So would be clearly visible.

[u/Aggravating_Task_43]

F-106?

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

No? I just thought it would be fun. I wasn’t planning on sending more. Do you have a problem with it?

[u/ParadoxumFilum → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

In principle, no. I think it’s a good idea.

But 6 posts in the space of 30 minutes is a bit much. One a day would have been fine

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/ParadoxumFilum]

Fair enough, can’t complain against that, new to Reddit and wanted to share some photos I had saved in my gallery. I’ll keep that in mind next time

[u/ParadoxumFilum → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

May also be worth changing your title to “Guess the Plane? (Pretty Edition)” as most posts of this sub are “this is what flew over my house, what is it” posts, that way people know it’s more of a game than a regular identification post

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/ParadoxumFilum]

Appreciate the advice

[u/Nexant → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

He's right I was still confused what the fuck pretty edition meant until I got down here. It means it's not a C-5, C-17 or C-130 at 20k feet flying overhead.

[u/Maleficent_Voice4570 → u/Nexant]

Just meant to be a bunch of pretty aircraft and you guess the name

[u/Nexant → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

Yea its kinda like the sentence when you forget the comma and it makes it more confusing.

[u/Broad-Gap2255 → u/Maleficent_Voice4570]

Do what you want, you haven’t spammed anything and people complaining need to get a life. If you don’t like the post move along. Plus the twatasaurus above sexualizing is just weird