Atlas Cheetah

The Atlas Cheetah is a South African fighter aircraft developed for the South African Air Force (SAAF), and currently operated by the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE). It was developed as a major upgrade of the Dassault Mirage III by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation (later Denel Aviation) in South Africa and is based on the IAI Kfir. Three different variants were created, 16 dual-seat Cheetah D, 16 single-seat Cheetah E and 38 single-seat Cheetah C. The Cheetah Es were retired in 1992, and the Cheetah Cs and Cheetah Ds in April 2008, being replaced by the Saab Gripen. A limited number are still operated in South Africa as flight test aircraft.

Users

 * Chile
 * Chilean Air Force
 * Ecuador
 * Ecuadorian Air Force
 * South Africa
 * Denel Aviation
 * South African Air Force
 * United States
 * Draken International

Related Development

 * Dassault Mirage III
 * Dassault Mirage 5
 * IAI Kfir
 * IAI Nesher
 * IAI Nammer

Comparable Aircraft

 * Atlas Carver
 * Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon
 * Dassault Mirage 2000
 * General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
 * IAI Lavi
 * Saab 37 Viggen