Atlas Carver

The Atlas Carver (sometimes referred to as "CAVA") was a project launched in the 1980s by the South African 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 90s 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.^[1] President F.W. 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.

The design was to be a fly by wire (FBW) unstable design constructed from a large percentage of composites.

See also

• Embraer MFT-LF
• FMA SAIA 90
• IAR 95
• Novi Avion
• PZL-230 Skorpion

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 International. 6 May 1989, p. 2.
• "South Africa drops fighter development". Flight International, 13–19 February 1991. p. 11.