Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a contract valued at $50 million with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense to modernize the Sri Lankan Air Force's Kfir fighter jets. According to the Israeli company, the jets will receive upgrades in the form of 4+ avionics to integrate new helmets, radars, sensors, and advanced communication systems in the future. 

The upgrading process will also include transferring knowledge and skills for renewal to Sri Lankan Air Force personnel. The upgrades will be completed in cooperation with the Air Force and at its local facilities, explains the IAI. 

The IAI Kfir was developed by IAI itself based on the Nesher, an Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage 5, a ground attack version of the Mirage III made to order by Israel. The Nesher emerged after France imposed an arms embargo against Israel, whose tactical air fleet was mostly made up of aircraft of French origin.

The biggest difference between Kfir and Nesher is the engine: the French Snecma ATAR 09 came out and the General Electric J79 came, the same used in the F-4 Phantom II, also widely used by Israel, which started to acquire the heavy American jet at the end of 1960s. The fighter had its structure modified, receiving reinforcements in the fuselage and landing gear, larger air intakes and instruments and avionics of Israeli origin. 

According to IAI, the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka to upgrade its fighters comes, in part, from the success of the Kfirs modernization program of the Colombian Air Force, which has about 19 units of the jet. THE Flightglobal, citing data from Cirium, points out that Sri Lanka has five Kfir fighter jets stored at Bandaranaike International Airport, which have been deactivated since mid-2017. The jets were acquired in 2000. 

The Colombian fighters received extensive upgrades, including integration with the Spice smart bomb and the ELTA EL/M-2052 active electronically scanned array radar, the only AESA radar used on an operational fighter in Latin America today. FAB's F-39E Gripen uses the Raven ES-05, however, the FAB 4100 is being used in the model's certification and development campaign in conjunction with Saab. Still in 2021, the FAB should receive the first four operating units. 

“I am proud that the IAI Kfir has been chosen by customers around the world, including in the United States and as the flagship fighter jet for the Colombian Air Force. I am grateful to the Sri Lankan Air Force for choosing to renew their Kfir and to continue using the Kfir as their multi-role fighter aircraft,” said Yossi Melamed, Executive Vice President of IAI. “I believe this agreement is an initial step in preparing for future upgrades of the KNG (Kfir New Generation) advanced model.”

In addition to Colombia and Sri Lanka, the Kfir is also used by ATAC (Airborne Tactical Advantage Company), a private American company that provides air combat training services to the US Air Force and Navy. The model was also used by the Ecuadorian Air Force and the US Navy.