The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps flew only two foreign planes in significant numbers during the Cold War—the British-developed Harrier attack aircraft and the Israeli-developed Kfir fighter. The Kfir was acquired during the Reagan administration and flown by the Navy and Marine Corps as a “dissimilar” aircraft for air-combat maneuver (ACM) training. Flying against dissimilar planes helped to hone the skills of fighter pilots.
