Atlas Carver
Encyclopedia
The Atlas Carver (sometimes erroneously referred to as "CAVA") was a project launched in the 1980s by the South Africa
n Atlas Aircraft Corporation
to replace the aging Canberra
, Buccaneer
, and Mirage III in the South African Air Force
. The Atlas Cheetah
was a total upgrade of the Mirage III, but it was only an interim solution until the late 90's when the Carver would have entered into service. The project was necessated by the arms embargo
imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
against Apartheid South Africa of the time.
The Carver project was canceled in 1991. President Frederik Willem de Klerk
mentioned its cancellation in parliament along with the six nuclear weapons
in the early 1990s. Upwards of 10 billion Rand had been spent on the project already as well as a mock-up to test systems placement. Comprehensive wind tunnel tests and a host of related work had been completed. Apparently construction of a prototype had either commenced or was about to commence. In 1987, towards the end of the research and test phase, some Israel
i engineers made redundant by the Lavi
cancellation were recruited onto the Carver project, leading to speculation that it would be a Lavi lookalike, ala the J-10
.
No official pictures or conceptual artwork of any possible prototypes/models are available publicly. However, a number of aviation enthusiasts have imagined the fighter in artwork or created models in the public realm. These works include a model resembling the Dassault Mirage 2000, and sketches of fighters that look similar to the Dassault Mirage 4000 and Rafale.
The design was to be a fly by wire
(FBW) unstable design constructed from a large percentage of composites
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Atlas Aircraft Corporation
Atlas Aircraft Corporation
The Atlas Aircraft Corporation of South Africa was established in 1965 to manufacture a number of sophisticated military aircraft and avionics equipment for the South African Air Force, as well as for export...
to replace the aging Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
, Buccaneer
Blackburn Buccaneer
The Blackburn Buccaneer was a British low-level subsonic strike aircraft with nuclear weapon delivery capability serving with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force between 1962 and 1994, including service in the 1991 Gulf War...
, and Mirage III in the South African Air Force
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
. The Atlas Cheetah
Atlas Cheetah
The Atlas Cheetah is a fighter aircraft currently operated by the Ecuadorian Air Force. It was operated by the South African Air Force between 1986 and 2008. It was first built as a major upgrade of the Dassault Mirage III by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation of South Africa in South Africa and is...
was a total upgrade of the Mirage III, but it was only an interim solution until the late 90's when the Carver would have entered into service. The project was necessated by the arms embargo
Arms embargo
An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa. This resolution differed from the earlier Resolution 282, which was only voluntary...
against Apartheid South Africa of the time.
The Carver project was canceled in 1991. President Frederik Willem de Klerk
Frederik Willem de Klerk
Frederik Willem de Klerk , often known as F. W. de Klerk, is the former seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994...
mentioned its cancellation in parliament along with the six nuclear weapons
South Africa and weapons of mass destruction
From the 1960s to the 1980s, South Africa pursued research into weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Six nuclear weapons were assembled...
in the early 1990s. Upwards of 10 billion Rand had been spent on the project already as well as a mock-up to test systems placement. Comprehensive wind tunnel tests and a host of related work had been completed. Apparently construction of a prototype had either commenced or was about to commence. In 1987, towards the end of the research and test phase, some Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i engineers made redundant by the Lavi
IAI Lavi
The IAI Lavi was a combat aircraft developed in Israel in the 1980s. It was a multi-billion dollar fighter aircraft project that was disbanded when the Israeli government concluded it could not finance production on its own, could not achieve a consensus on the Lavi's cost-effectiveness and...
cancellation were recruited onto the Carver project, leading to speculation that it would be a Lavi lookalike, ala the J-10
Chengdu J-10
The Chengdu J-10 is a multirole fighter aircraft designed and produced by the People's Republic of China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Air Force...
.
No official pictures or conceptual artwork of any possible prototypes/models are available publicly. However, a number of aviation enthusiasts have imagined the fighter in artwork or created models in the public realm. These works include a model resembling the Dassault Mirage 2000, and sketches of fighters that look similar to the Dassault Mirage 4000 and Rafale.
The design was to be a fly by wire
Fly by Wire
Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson is a book written in 2009 by William Langewiesche about US Airways Flight 1549 with emphasis on the role played by the advanced fly-by-wire flight control system of the aircraft....
(FBW) unstable design constructed from a large percentage of composites
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
.
See also
- Embraer MFT-LFEmbraer MFT-LFEmbraer MFT-LF was the beginning of a light fighter/advanced trainer project announced in the late eighties by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The Brazilian government did not want to fund the project alone and was counting on a foreign partner to make the project viable...
- FMA SAIA 90FMA SAIA 90The FMA SAIA 90 was an air superiority aircraft designed by the FMA with the collaboration of Dornier in the mid-1980s...
- IAR 95IAR 95-See also:-References:* * International Air Power Review, Winter 2001-2002-External links:* Romanian Supersonic Projects...
- Novi AvionNovi Avion|-See also:-References:* Newspaper article on Novi Avion* Aerosvet Magazine* Jane's All the World's Aircraft...
- PZL-230 SkorpionPZL-230 Skorpion-See also:* Atlas Carver* Embraer MFT-LF* FMA SAIA 90* IAR 95* Novi Avion-References:...
External links
- "ATLAS CAVA (South Africa), AIRCRAFT - FIXED-WING - MILITARY". Janes's All The World's Aircraft 1990-91.
- "South Africa plans new twin-engined Fighter". Flight InternationalFlight InternationalFlight International is a global aerospace weekly publication produced in the UK. Founded in 1909, it is the world's oldest continuously published aviation news magazine...
. 6 May 1989, p. 2. - "South Africa drops fighter development". Flight International, 13–19 February 1991. p. 11.