South African Air Force (historical) Chilean Air Force (historical) Ecuadorian Air Force
Number built
38 (C), 16 (D), 16 (E)
Developed from
Dassault Mirage III IAI Nesher IAI Kfir[1]
The Atlas Cheetah is a South African fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aviation company Atlas Aircraft Corporation (later Denel Aeronautics). It was developed at the behest of, and principally operated by, the South African Air Force (SAAF).
The Cheetah was developed amid the Border War of the 1980s as a major upgrade of the French-built Dassault Mirage III fleet operated by the SAAF. The programme integrated technology from the Israeli-built IAI Kfir,[2] which had been derived from the Mirage 5/IAI Nesher. The upgrade programme, which was known as Project Cushion, produced three variants; the two-seat Cheetah D, the single-seat Cheetah E, and the single-seat Cheetah C. All three models were inducted into the SAAF, functioning for a time as the service's most capable fighter and strike aircraft. A single Cheetah R, intended for aerial reconnaissance, was built as a prototype, but this variant never entered service.
During 1992, the Cheetah E model was withdrawn from SAAF service; both the Cheetah Cs and Cheetah Ds were retired during April 2008, having been being replaced by the Swedish-built Saab Gripen. Since its retirement by the SAAF, a limited number have still operated in South Africa as flight test aircraft. Some have been exported, such as to the Ecuadorian Air Force (EAF) as a source of spare parts. The privately owned company Draken International intends to use the Cheetah as an adversarial aircraft for combat training services in the United States.
^"Dassault Mirage III & Mirage 5/Nesher in Israeli Service". ACIG. 2003. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
^"Ex-South African Air Force Cheetah fighter jets arriving in Ecuador." Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine AmericasForum.com, 20 April 2011.
The AtlasCheetah is a South African fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aviation company Atlas Aircraft Corporation (later Denel Aeronautics)...
French-built Dassault Mirage III fighters, which became known as the AtlasCheetah, while a long-term and more extensive effort to design and manufacture...
medium helicopter), and the Cheetah (an extensively modified model of the French Dassault Mirage III fighter). The Atlas Aircraft Corporation was established...
aircraft, including the Dassault Mirage 5, Dassault Mirage IIIV and AtlasCheetah. Some operators have undertaken extensive modification and upgrade programmes...
91Y and Aermacchi MB-326K, the Indonesian A-4, and the South African AtlasCheetah and Impala Mk.II. Various gun pod installations are available from CASA...
trainers for trials during its own AtlasCheetah fighter programme. All the aircraft were eventually upgraded to Cheetah D standard. Chile incorporated some...
powered by Atar 9K50. Cancelled. Later developed as South Africa's AtlasCheetah Kfir C.10: A variant developed especially for export. The most important...
fleet of AtlasCheetah fighter jets operational; Denel having the foremost experience of the type having been its original manufacturer as the Atlas Aircraft...
traversing rough terrain at inclines up to 35 degrees.[citation needed] The Cheetah is a four-footed robot that gallops at 28 miles per hour (45 km/h; 13 m/s)...
Africa upgraded its fleet of Mirage IIIs to meet local requirements: AtlasCheetah, a Mirage III upgrade based on the IAI Kfir. Chile upgraded its fleet...
F-4E, F-15, F-16, Kfir, Super Tucano, Jaguar,Sukhoi SU 30 MKI and AtlasCheetah D aircraft. Spice (munition) GBU-12 Paveway II Sudarshan laser-guided...
Mirage 50 and AtlasCheetah. Atar Plus South African variant of the Atar09K-50 with new compressor, new turbine, new electronics. AtlasCheetah Dassault Étendard...
It remained active until 2 October 1992, when it was disbanded; its AtlasCheetah E aircraft were also decommissioned. The squadron was initially designated...
pusher configuration, with propeller in front of wing. Several variants. AtlasCheetah South Africa Jet Fighter 1986 Production 70 Modified Dassault Mirage...
tested on the AtlasCheetah, later an Aerosud-owned former South African Air Force (SAAF) Dassault Mirage F1 was used after the Cheetah retired. The system...
their 32 years in active service; they were replaced by a squadron of AtlasCheetah fighters bought from South Africa. Greece operated 40 Dassault Mirage...
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