Following Israel's example with its IAI Kfir, the government requested the Atlas Aircraft Corporation of South Africa (at that time producing Impala jet trainers, Alouette III light and medium Puma helicopters under licence) to upgrade the country's existing Mirage III aircraft to a modern standard.
As a result of this request, the Atlas Cheetah was born in the mid-eighties. While the aircraft's aerodynamics were improved (and in some versions the engine as well), the main development was the introduction of very modern avionics systems.
Although never openly acknowledged, it is widely rumoured that the South Africans had extensive Israeli assistance during the project. Indeed, the Cheetah shows many similarities to the IAI Kfir.
An Atar 9K-50 engine, built under license in South Africa for the country's Dassault Mirage F1 fighters. The Cheetah features larger engine intakes fitted to ensure the necessary airflow.
Two additional stores pylons under the intake ducts, for a total of seven pylons.
A fixed refuelling probe, mounted over the right air intake.
New avionics, the majority of Israeli origin, refined with then-new Taiwanese electronics, but with most elements built in South Africa, packed into an extended nose.
Not all Cheetahs incorporated all these improvements; the different versions are detailed later in this article.
The updated avionics kit included:
A lightweight Elta EL-2001 radar, a simple set but much better than the old unreliable Cyrano radar system, and capable of tracking and targeting in both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.
An Elbit head-up display (HUD), and a South African built helmet mounted sight.
A self-defence suite, including missile and radar warning sensors, active jammers, and chaff-flare dispensers. The chaff-flare dispensers were fitted in a fairing under the tail.
New navigation and weapons management systems, possibly with a MIL-STD 1553B digital data bus.
The Cheetah was qualified to carry locally built South African weapons, such as the Kukri and Darter AAMs, which are cued by the pilot's helmet-mounted sight, and Israeli weapons such as the Python AAM.
The South African Helmet mounted sight, a product of the Eloptro Optical Division of Armscor, latterly Denel, is one of the great triumphs of ingenuity over pricetag. Consisting of a light emitting diode mounted on the frame of the canopy, and an aray of light sensitive diodes mounted on the sid of the pilot's helmet, the unit tracks the motion of the pilots head as he moves it in the x-y plane. A heat seeking missile, typically either a Denel Darter or Kukri (although this system is also compatible with the Matra 550 Magic), has its tracking head slaved to the sight by a microwave radio channel, on the UHF band. The pilot has merely to hold his head on target, and is able to shoot off the bore by a phenomenal 42 degrees, which compares favourably with the Sukhoi Flanker optical sighting system's capability. But like modern systems, the unit is extremely compact, and thanks to its simplicity easily outperforms more complex laser based systems in terms of operability in harsh environments. This system was first developed in 1962, and has been used on a number of weapons targeting systems made by Armscor, such as the G-6 Mobile Howitzer, and the Rooivalk attack helicopter. It matches the extremely expensive laser sighting system used by the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, and trounces it in terms of price.
The Cheetah's radar is not capable of supporting long-range radar-guided AAMs. Of course, operational Cheetahs retain the twin DEFA cannon and can carry such ordnance as conventional bombs, cluster munitions, and unguided rocket pods. This is mainly due to the requirements of SADC forces, as South African Air Force fighters and pilots are arguably the best in the sub-continent, and unlikely to meet serious airborne opposition, apart from SAM's.
The result of all the modifications is something like a Kfir without the J79 engine fit, resembling a Kfir except for the lack of a ram-air inlet at the base of the tail. The fact that the updated machines are named the "Cheetah" does not imply a family relationship to the Kfir (Lion), although it is striking in similarity. The name is derived from the first SAAF squadron to receive the new aircraft, No. 2 Squadron, 'The Flying Cheetahs'.
