thumb|IAI-Lavi-B-2-Prototyp
Die '''IAF Lavi''' (hebräisch לביא =  Löwenjunges) war ein im Jahr 1980 begonnener Versuch Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) wurde nach Projektvorarbeiten ab 1982 begonnen. Als Triebwerk wurde das Pratt & Whitney PW1120 gewählt, die Aerodynamik wurde als Deltaflügel mit Canardsteuerflächen ausgelegt. Eine fortschrittliche Avionik mit Diagnosesoftware zur Selbstanalyse technischer Probleme mittels Sensorik sollte zum Einsatz kommen.

Der Erstflug der Lavi fand im Dezember 1986 noch ohne weite Teile der geplanten Avionik statt. Nach insgesamt guten Ergebnissen der Testflüge wurde nach dem Bau des zweiten Prototypen das Projekt mangels Finanzierbarkeit eingestellt. Die Zusage zur Aufteilung der Kosten von 60% Israel und 40% USA wurde von der USA aufgrund der möglichen Export-Konkurrenz zur General Dynamics F-16 und McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 zurückgenommen. Das Flugzeug war damit nicht mehr im vollem Umfang finanzierbar. IAI bemühte sich, trotz Fertigstellung eines eigenfinanzierten dritten Prototypen und Unterstützung durch Politiker und Militärs, vergeblich um eine Fortsetzung des Projekts.

== Leistungsdaten ==

*Besatzung = 1, Trainer 2
*Länge = 14,57 m
*Spannweite = 8,78 m
*Höhe = 4,78 m
*Tragflächeninhalt = 33,0 m²
*Leergewicht = 7.031 kg
*Startgewicht, max. = 19.277 kg
*Antrieb = 1 x Pratt & Whitney PW1120
*Schub =91.5 kN 
*Höchstgeschwindigkeit = 1.965 km/h
*Reichweite = 3.700 km 
*Dienstgipfelhöhe = 15.240 m
*Steigrate= 254 m/s
*Schub/Gewicht Verhältnis = 0,94

<!-- This article is a part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft. Please see Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout. -->
{{infobox Aircraft
  |name =Lavi
  |type =Multirole fighter
  |manufacturer =Israeli Aircraft Industries
  |image =Image:IAI-Lavi-B-2-hatzerim-2.jpg
  |caption =Lavi B-2 prototype
  |designer =
  |first flight =1986-12-31
  |introduced =
  |retired =
  |status =Cancelled 1987-08-30
  |primary user =
  |more users =
  |produced =
  |number built =2 prototypes (5 planned)
  |unit cost =
  |developed from=
  |variants with their own articles=
}}

The '''IAI Lavi''' (Hebrew: לביא, "Young Lion") was a combat aircraft developed in Ben Gurion airport.

==History==
The ''Lavi'' project began in February 1980, when the Israeli government authorized the IAF to present it with a list of technical specifications for the development of the IAF's future fighter. The development stage began in October 1982, with the choice of a Pratt & Whitney engine already having been made.

One of the ''Lavi'''s most distinct advantages is its functional features, especially its cockpit, custom-built entirely using input from active IAF fighter pilots. Drawing on their operational experience, the design was geared to let the pilot handle the tactical aspects of the battle, without having to worry about monitoring and controlling the various subsystems. The avionics of the ''Lavi'' were considered to be innovative and groundbreaking, and included self-analysis equipment to make maintenance easier.

The aircraft features a canards situated in the front of the aircraft. While this configuration affords excellent maneuverability it also exhibits natural instability in flight. To compensate, the Lavi was outfitted with a sophisticated digital fly-by-wire system which allows the plane to take advantage of this particular wing design while eliminating its shortcoming. The Lavi was one of the first aircraft to feature this type of configuration, which has since become almost ubiquitous in many other fighter aircraft which have been developed around the world since the Lavi. 

On December 31 1986, the first prototype of the ''Lavi'' took off on its maiden flight. The test pilot, Menachem Shmul, head of IAI's Air Operations section, took off at 13:21 and stayed in the air for 26 minutes, during which he checked the engine and controls.

About three months later, a second ''Lavi'' prototype took to the air. In its maiden flight, the engine systems, flight control, electrical system, hydraulics and air conditioning were evaluated. The second prototype had some improvements over the first, with a belly-mounted fuel tank, a special midair refuelling probe and several avionic systems that were not employed in the first prototype.

The IAI had produced two prototypes out of the originally planned five when the Israeli government decided to cancel the project because of budget problems and bickering among various economic and political pressure groups. The total cost for the development and production of the ''Lavi'' was US$6.4 billion in 1983, of which around 40% was funded by the United States and 60% by the Israeli government. The project was canceled in part because the U.S. was not prepared to finance an aircraft that would compete in the export market with the F-16C/D and the F/A-18C/D, and also because a dispute arose as to the final cost. The Israeli government was unable to finance the project alone and canceled it on August 30 1987.<ref name = "JVL">[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/lavi.html  Lavi], [http://jewishvirtuallibrary.org./  The Jewish Virtual Library].</ref> The decision to cancel was approved with a majority of only one vote.
Two years after the project's cancellation, the IAI has completed the building of the third Lavi prototype, which served as a Technology Demonstrator (TD) and a flying testbed to some of the IAI's projects. The TD flew until the mid nineties, and was later used as a ground testbed.

Throughout the project's lifetime, Likud minister Moshe Arens, himself an IAF veteran, was the ''Lavi'''s main advocate. However, the military was not of one mind on the issue.  A counter-argument was that the Lavi did not represent a sufficient advance over the F-16 or other comparable aircraft to justify its higher cost, and Israel was better off buying larger numbers of the American plane.  Some community welfare organizations in Israel blasted the spending associated with the ''Lavi'' as a bottomless pit, and contrasted it with dwindling expenditure on health and education.

However, while the Lavi project was canceled, its development represented an important opportunity to demonstrate and advance the capabilities of Israel's aerospace industry; moreover, many of the aircraft's sub-systems and components continued to be developed by the Israeli aerospace industry and are nowadays available in the defense marketplace as separate systems.  They contribute to Israeli exports.

According to some sources, the design of China's  Chengdu J-10 fighter was influenced by the Lavi, with Israeli cooperation.<ref>[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp473.htm "THE PHALCON SALE TO CHINA: THE LESSONS FOR ISRAEL"], Jonathan Adelman, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved September 27, 2007.</ref>  However, the designer of the J-10,  J-9, which predates the Lavi.<ref></ref>

Armscor of South Africa was reported to have made concerted efforts to recruit technicians that had worked on the Lavi for its Atlas Cheetah upgrade project.<ref name="Isolated"></ref>