Ask the Author: John Golan
Answered Questions (1)
John Golan
The idea behind writing a book on the Lavi was something that I had wanted to do for quite a while. It had always seemed to me that this was a story that had never been fully told - both in terms of why the Lavi was built, and what this airplane was intended to do and be, and also in terms of the behind-the-scenes political struggle that ultimately led to its demise.
The Lavi was far more than just another military development program. It was the largest weapons program in Israel's history - a unique window into Israel's military and political leadership, and into the U.S.-Israel relationship. As such, I have striven to capture the wider context behind the Lavi's development: Israel's unique security situation and needs; the impact on Israeli society from decades of war; the U.S.-Israel relationship and how it shaped this program; and the inner workings of the Reagan Administration which alternately nurtured and opposed the development of this fighter jet.
As an aerospace engineer by training, with decades of experience in the industry, I also tended to approach the story from a slightly different viewpoint from most journalists or historians. To my eye, I could recognize features and trades that had gone into this airplane that gave evidence to why it was built and the role for which it was intended. It always seemed to me, therefore, that I was a natural choice to write this story.
The book on the Lavi is consequently a combination of the political story behind the evolution of the program, as traced in its chapters, and the technological story of its development, as captured in the appendices. I hope that it is a combination that will provide food for thought to a wide audience, highlighting issues that remain equally relevant with us today as when the Lavi program was first launched more than thirty years ago.
The Lavi was far more than just another military development program. It was the largest weapons program in Israel's history - a unique window into Israel's military and political leadership, and into the U.S.-Israel relationship. As such, I have striven to capture the wider context behind the Lavi's development: Israel's unique security situation and needs; the impact on Israeli society from decades of war; the U.S.-Israel relationship and how it shaped this program; and the inner workings of the Reagan Administration which alternately nurtured and opposed the development of this fighter jet.
As an aerospace engineer by training, with decades of experience in the industry, I also tended to approach the story from a slightly different viewpoint from most journalists or historians. To my eye, I could recognize features and trades that had gone into this airplane that gave evidence to why it was built and the role for which it was intended. It always seemed to me, therefore, that I was a natural choice to write this story.
The book on the Lavi is consequently a combination of the political story behind the evolution of the program, as traced in its chapters, and the technological story of its development, as captured in the appendices. I hope that it is a combination that will provide food for thought to a wide audience, highlighting issues that remain equally relevant with us today as when the Lavi program was first launched more than thirty years ago.
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