| The Arava was the first transport aircraft that was planned and produced entirely in Israel. The prototype first flew on November 27th 1969. The plane's civilian version was powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27, and was meant for flying 20 seated passengers or 12 medical evacuees on stretchers. The military version of the plane has a stronger power plant and can carry 24 armed troops, 17 fully equipped paratroopers, or 2.5 tons of cargo. The plane can also be armed with various weapons if necessary.<br><br>In the Yom Kippur War, several 'Arava 201' planes were conscripted by the IAF for transport missions in the Sinai. When war broke out on October 6th, 1973, the IAF commandeered from IAI the Arava 102 prototype and two 201 military examples built for a foreign customer. Serving mainly in the Sinai, The three aircraft proved to be of tremendous value. In the early 1980's, a number of Arava planes entered service with the IAF, and carried out transport, instructional and operational assignments. After 'Peace for the Galilee', the planes were employed for carrying troops between Lebanon and Israel. These flights made use of the Arava's ability to land on short, rough airstrips. <br>Features<br><br>Comprehensive assembly instructions<br>Detailed cockpit<br>Exploded diagrams<br>Reference photographs of completed kit<br><br>Requires Acrobat Reader Version 6 or better |
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