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Flight Test Center (Israel)
5601 Squadron, also known as Manat (, an acronym for ''Merkaz Nisu'ey Tisa'', , lit. ''Flight Test Center''), is the Israeli Air Force unit responsible for flight and weapons testing, airframe modification and avionics integration. It is based at Tel Nof Airbase. History Although formed in 1978, Manat may have its origins in a flight test unit established as early as March 1950. Manat comprises a flight section, including test pilots and flight testing engineers, a technical section charged with aircraft maintenance, an avionics section, and a UAV section operating from Palmachim. The squadron operates a fully instrumented example of every Israeli Air Force frontline combat aircraft type on strength at any time. It operates a number of UAVs and will utilize helicopter and transport types from other squadrons when necessary. Among the aircraft currently operated by Manat are three F-16 Fighting Falcons, representing the different variants of the aircraft in service: F-16D Block ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tel Nof Airbase
Tel Nof Airbase (, English: Lookout hill) , also known as Air Force Base 8, is the oldest and main base of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) located 5 km south of Rehovot, Israel. Tel Nof houses two strike fighter, two transport helicopter and a UAV squadron. Also located on the base are the Flight Test Center ''Manat'' and several special units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), among others Unit 669 (heliborne Combat Search and Rescue, CSAR) and the Paratroopers Brigade training center and its headquarters. See also: Units. History (RAF) British Mandate Established in the spring of 1941 as RAF Aqir during the Mandate for Palestine, it served as the main base for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Mandate for Palestine. It was named after the Arab village Aqir north of it that perished in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and was located in the area of today's Kiryat Ekron. Operational units from 1941 to 1948 Gallery Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Afr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-unrelated Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which was operational from 1912 to 1920. History Origins Allan Loughead and his brother Malcolm Loughead had operated an earlier aircraft company, Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which was operational from 1912 to 1920. The company built and operated aircraft for paying passengers on sightseeing tours in California and had developed a prototype for the civil market, but folded in 1920 due to the flood of surplus aircraft deflating the market after World War I. Allan went into the real estate market while Malcolm had meanwhile formed a successful company marketing brake systems for automobiles. On December 13, 1926, Allan Loughead, Jack Northrop, John Northrop, Kenneth Kay and Fre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Aerospace Flight Test Centres
Flight test centers around the world all have similar missions: to conduct flight research and testing of new aircraft concepts and prototypes. Notable centers are listed below (by year of foundation): Government establishments * U.K. Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, based at Boscombe Down, England (founded 1917) * U.S. Navy Air Warfare Test Center, based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, United States (founded 1918, as the Navy's Flight Test Group based at Naval Air Station Anacostia) * Swedish Armed Forces Flight Test and Evaluation Center (FMV:PROV is a part of FMV), based at Linköping, Sweden (founded 1933) *Italian Air Force Flight Test Center (Reparto Sperimentale di Volo), based at Pratica di Mare (founded 1935) * Russian State Flight Research and Test Center, based at Zhukovsky, Russia (founded 1941) * I.N.T.A. Spanish Aerospace Research and Test Center, based at Torrejón de Ardoz, Community of Madrid, Spain (founded 1942) * CLAEX ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lockheed Martin F-35
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and attack aircraft, strike missions, it also has electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Lockheed Martin is the prime F-35 contractor with principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. The aircraft has three main variants: the CTOL, conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A, the STOVL, short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35B, and the carrier-based, carrier variant (CV) Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery, catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) F-35C. The aircraft descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, which in 2001 beat the Boeing X-32 to win the Joint Strike Fighter program, Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program intended to replace the General Dynami ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. () is an Israeli Defense contractor, defense technology company. It was founded as Israel's National R&D Defense Laboratory for the development of weapons and military technology within the Ministry of Defense (Israel), Israeli Ministry of Defense; in 2002 it was incorporated as a limited company. History Rafael was established in 1948 as the Science Corps (, known by the acronym HEMED, ) under the leadership of Shlomo Gur. It was renamed the Research and Design Directorate () in 1952. In 1952 David Ben-Gurion decided to split the activities of HEMED into two agencies. The pure scientific research was left with HEMED, while the development of weapons was placed into the new EMET agency. In 1954 Ben-Gurion decided to change the name of EMET to ''RAFAEL'' (). It was reorganized as Rafael in 1958. In 1995, Yitzhak Rabin asked Amos Horev to become chairman of the board of Rafael, following many years in which Horev had served as chairman o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AGM-142 Have Nap
The Popeye (Hebrew: פופאי) is a family of air-to-surface missiles developed and in use by Israel, of which several types have been developed for Israeli and export users. A long-range submarine-launched cruise missile variant of the Popeye Turbo has been speculated as being employed in Israel's submarine-based nuclear forces.Israeli missile FAS The United States operated the Popeye under a different designation according to US naming conventions as the AGM-142 Have Nap. Design The Popeye is designed for precision attack against large targets from stand off ranges. The standard Popeye and smaller Popeye-Lite are powered by a single-stage |
Python (missile)
The Rafael Python (stylized all Letter case, uppercase; ''פיתון'') is a family of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) built by the Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, formerly RAFAEL Armament Development Authority. Originally starting with the ''Shafrir'' (, loosely translated as a dome, or a protective cloak – but also similar sounding to Dragonfly, a male form of inflection for Damselfly (שפירית)) series, the ''Shafrir-1'' missile was developed in 1959, followed by the ''Shafrir-2'' in early 1970s. Subsequently, the missiles were given the western name of "''Python''" by the parent company for export purposes, starting with the ''Python-3'' in 1978. Since then, it has been further developed and evolved into the ''Python-4'', ''Python-5'', ''Derby'' and also, the SPYDER, an advanced ground-based air-defence system. Currently, the missiles are in service with the armed forces of over fifteen countries from around the world. Design and development In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Sukhoi Su-27, was developed to counter U.S. fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1983. While originally oriented towards combat against any enemy aircraft, many MiG-29s have been furnished as multirole fighters capable of performing a number of different operations, and are commonly outfitted to use a range of air-to-surface armaments and precision munitions. The MiG-29 has been manufactured in several major variants, including the multirole Mikoyan MiG-29M and the navalised Mikoyan MiG-29K; the most advanced member of the family to date is the Mikoyan MiG-35. Later models frequently feature improved engines, glass cockpi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generation jet fighter, alongside similar Soviet aircraft such as the Su-17 "Fitter". It was the first Soviet fighter to field a look-down/shoot-down radar, the RP-23 Sapfir, and one of the first to be armed with beyond-visual-range missiles. Production started in 1969 and reached large numbers with over 5,000 aircraft built, making it the most produced variable-sweep wing aircraft in history. The MiG-23 remains in limited service with some export customers. The basic design was also used as the basis for the Mikoyan MiG-27, a dedicated ground-attack variant. Among many minor changes, the MiG-27 replaced the MiG-23's nose-mounted radar system with an optical panel holding a laser designator and a TV camera. Development The MiG-23's predecessor, the MiG-21, was fast and agile, but limited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
F-16 Fighting Falcon Variants
A large number of variants of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon have been produced by General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and various licensed manufacturers. The details of the F-16 variants, along with major modification programs and derivative designs significantly influenced by the F-16, are described below. Pre-production variants YF-16 Two single-seat YF-16 prototypes were built for the Light Weight Fighter (LWF) competition. The first YF-16 was rolled out at Fort Worth on 13 December 1973 and accidentally accomplished its first flight on 21 January 1974, followed by its scheduled "first flight" on 2 February 1974. The second prototype first flew on 9 March 1974. Both YF-16 prototypes participated in the flyoff against the Northrop YF-17 prototypes, with the F-16 winning the Air Combat Fighter (ACF) competition, as the LWF program had been renamed. *72-1567 - on display at the Virginia Air and Space Science Center in Hampton, Virginia. *72-1568 - under restoration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's design in 1969 to meet the service's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle took its maiden flight in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. It is among the most successful modern fighters, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat, with the majority of the kills by the Israeli Air Force.Spick 2000, p. 127. The Eagle has been exported to many countries, including Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Although the F-15 was originally envisioned as a pure air superiority fighter, its design included a secondary ground-attack capability that was largely unused. It proved flexible enough that an improved all-weather strike derivative, the F-15E Strike Eagle, was later developed, entered service in 1989 and has been ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palmachim Airbase
Palmachim Airbase (, ) is an Israeli Air Force, Israeli Air Force (IAF) base and spaceport, which the IAF and the Israel Space Agency, Israel Space Agency (ISA) operate jointly. It is located west of the city of Yavne on the Mediterranean coast, 12 km south of the Gush Dan metropolitan area with Tel Aviv, named after the Kibbutz Palmachim a few hundred meters to the north. There are no fighter jets stationed there, but transport helicopters, UAVs and a battery of Arrow (missile family), Arrow defense missiles southeast of it. History The airbase was established in the second half of the 1960s by the later commander of the IAF Benny Peled and the area was initially used to test rockets and projectiles that the 151 Squadron (Israel), 151 Squadron for missile testing was firing towards the sea. Helicopters * In 1975, the 160 Squadron (Israel), 160 Squadron "First Cobra" was established with new Bell AH-1 Cobra, AH-1 Cobra ''Tzefa'' attack helicopters (see photo in galler ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
