Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), inspired by a French carrier plane that Israel is licensed to produce in the 1950s, pushes for the design and manufacture of the first uniquely Israeli aircraft. Levi Eshkol’s government consents to its building in 1968. The growth of IAI is catalyzed by the French government’s decision after the 1967 war not to sell aircraft to Israel, thus driving Israel to use their own technological know-how to build home grown planes for domestic and military purposes. This project lays the groundwork for the development of other Israeli-made planes, most notably the Kfir fighter jet.
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