Can Israel develop its own stealth fighter jet

[StobieWan]

What Israel might be able to do is build a long-range stealthy subsonic UAV for strike, as an alternative to submarine-launched missiles & manned aircraft. Using imported (or licence-built) jet engines, & building on existing Israeli expertise in UAV control systems, it should be both within Israel's capabilities in aerodynamics & aero structures, & cheaper than a fighter - though not cheap, by any means. I expect Israel is already working on signature management.


Stobiewan: the Swedes have 65 years experience of building jet fighters, & over 55 years of building fast (if by that you mean supersonic) jets. The Saab 21R flew in 1947, & the Saab 35 in 1955.

1947 ? Blimey, I was not aware of that fact

Kudos to the Swedes then - quietly getting it done. I've always liked and admired the lines of the Draken and Viggen as well - there's a Draken at Duxford and the thing looks like if it hit the side of a mountain, it'd just keep flying out the other side.

Ian

 

[swerve]

SAAB just happened to have a wartime prop-driven fighter in pusher configuration, the J21. The configuration made it relatively easy to turn into a jet. It wasn't a very good propellor fighter, & it didn't make a good jet fighter (in fact, all those built were completed as attack aircraft & the originally planned number was cut in half), but it gave SAAB & Volvo engineers useful experience, & was strictly a short-term expedient until the excellent J29 Tunnan was ready - a swept-wing designed from scratch jet fighter with a licence-built De Havilland Ghost engine, first flight 1st September 1948, in service 1950. SAAB got hold of some wartime German engineering data on swept wings & used it very well indeed.

 

[Todjaeger]

Israel has been global sales leader of military unmanned aerial vehicles UAV since 2001. If they want to develop a stealth fighter they have both the capabilities and the budget.

Israel has some of the capabilities to develop a LO combat aircraft. The capabilities that are lacking can also be built up or developed, should Israel choose to do so.

However, from a practical standpoint, Israel does not have the budget to realistically do so. That Israel is a leader in world UAS sales does not matter as it has no relevance.

Some numbers to keep in mind for relevance. The 2013 total GDP estimate for Israel is $273 bil. IIRC the programme cost for the F-22 Raptor was $66 bil. The US already had a fully developed aerospace industry capable of designing and fabricating the airframe, aircraft skin/surface, engines, control systems and avionics. The US also already had experience in both developing and operating LO aircraft, having done so for several decades (see A brief history of LO) for context.

If Israel was looking to develop their own LO combat aircraft, then either crash development programme would need to begin in some areas where Israel currently has no real expertise, or Israel would need to purchase parts that they cannot make from the world market, and hope they met the provided performance reqs.

Given the costs to develop a number of aerospace industrial sectors, then the cost to just develop the LO aircraft itself, it really just is not feasible. Or looking at it another way, could Israel afford to have the IDF spend its entire budget for the next five years, just to develop a 'stealth' fighter? IMO the truthful answer is "no."

-Cheers