The Cheetah was actually the Israelli Kfir design, which was itself a remodelling of the Mirage III, upengined with a P&W J79. They sold the design to SA and before the engines could be delivered, the US blocked their transfer from Israel to SA. SA ended up taking the Atar O9K50 engines (the original French engines from their Mirage III) and re-engineered the hot end to improve performance. This was successful.
Except the cheetah conversions were more advanced than the Kfir. They were also carried out by native South African company Atlas, now known as Denel. These aircraft had various different models each to their own specifications so simplifying it by saying "its actually just a Kfir" is flat out incorrect. Of course Israel showed their modifications and aided Atlas but they are still very different aircraft.
Cheetah D, my second aircraft to work on. First was the Mirage F1 AZ then in 1987 was transfer to 89 CFS in Pietersburg. WDNS tech for 6 years on these kites. Flew backseat, what an experience!
I missed out....Helped out at TFDC, Bredasdorp projects....Dressed in a G-suit(Ready to go in the NICE one), and got superseded by the Technical officer......GRRRRRR. There's not enough I can say about that without a BAN on my channel....I know you will understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This beauty was my first experience of an aircraft breaking the sound barrier. I was twelve years old or there abouts, and the unexpected blast of the plane flying by left me lying flat on my back on the lawn (Durban north ca 1992?). Never forget my beloved cheetahs.
Thanks for the comment and support....I myself also had that experience about the same year...working at AFB Bredasdorp... TFDC....Test Flight and Development Centre...testing mountings system for new weapon system.... Accidentally (on purpose) went through sound barrier right above the hangar...
@@AviationEngineering1972 ja the regulations were likely more lax before. Last time a heard a Sonic boom was during the durban air show in 2009. I heard a deep sound like a drum was burst or distant cannon fire out at sea, except the sky in la lucia instantly darkened with untold thousands of startled birdlife. At that moment it seemed beyond fathonable that some pilot sitting in a cocpit, caused all of that.
the Cheetah lives on "Draken International - During December 2017, it was announced that the company would buy and operate 12 ex-South African Air Force Cheetahs as an adversarial aircraft for training military pilots."
I can remember the days when these jets flew over our school in Queenswood Pretoria. Those were the good old South African days . ❤Vandag is die plek kak . 😂
I used to work in Kempton Park near the Denel Campus; sometimes we'd hear one blast overhead - but of course you never saw it since by the time you'd run outside, it was long gone. We were treated to the thunderous drone of low-flying Rooivalks (and spotting them) on a number of occasions - it's an awesome experience.
Worked at SAAF's testing base years ago... Saw the Rooivalk in testing phase.. doing a Wheelie on the tail wheel down the runway...cool. the funny thing and amazing... it was done in "reverse" . Gulp, and what a test pilot!
I wonder though; how does the Cheetah compare to others in operation now? Is it a machine you'd take against aircraft owned by the Egyptians for example?
Think still well...if you have a look at DCS combat and how the Mirage performs...don't know how accurate it is in real life and what systems the Cheetah has now. ????
Hopelessly outdated. It is all about the elecronics, not so much the mechanical and aerodynamic performance. Our Mirage F1s could not even compete with the MiG 23 the Cubans and East Germans flew in Angola at the end before forcing South Africa's withdrawal. They had radar which our Mirages did not have.
@@afenijmeijer9027 In terms of its electronics and systems, the Cheetah was provisioned with new avionics, radar set, electronic warfare (EW) and self-protection suites.[10] As many of these were accommodated within the nose, this necessitated its lengthening to provide more internal space. The EW suite incorporated a missile approach warning system and radar warning receivers, while the aircraft's self-protection system, which consisted of electronic jammers and chaff/flare dispensers that were automatically activated. An indigenously developed helmet-mounted sight (HMS) and an oversized head-up display (HUD) were also installed in the cockpit, along with other sophisticated cockpit instrumentation. The upgrade involved the fitting of a new and capable Pulse-Doppler radar system
@afenijmeijer9027 The Cheetah is not a Mirage F1. The Cheetah is a 4th Generation fighter with all the electronic bells and whistles of that category. It is in the same category as the 4th generation Mig 29, the F15, F16, F18 and Mirage 2000. That is one of the reasons why the US is using them now for adversary training, flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, and testing services to the U.S. Department of Defense. On top of that they had very low airframe hours when sold to the US.
Those things are ancient. As a little boy living one block away from Table mountain, newlands side, 3 Mirages flew into the mountain. I collected some instruments and other pieces. It was around 1965.
hello Aviation Engineering, I'm admin of the modelkitindo channel, I ask permission to hanging this video on my channel as a teaser, and I will enclose your channel name on the video and link in description ... thank you
Is it french "jaguar" jetfighter? I guess mirage f1 but the nose is not same... delta wings on f1 are on top of aircraft. It was balanced for low highspeed flights
This is the solution for new jet fighters for Ukraine. The problem is that South Africa is pro-China, pro-Russia. A Tu-160 which once belonged to Ukraine landed in South Africa.
