Business and technologyשארלי אטאלי

Charley Attali

Charley Attali was an Algerian-born French-Israeli aerospace engineer who led France's Diamant rocket project and later worked on aircraft at Israel Aerospace Industries.

1930 to 2006Heading France's Diamant rocket projectDeveloping the Kfir fighter jetDeveloping the Scout drone

Born: 17 December 1930, Constantine
Died: 22 April 2006, Israel
Occupation: engineer
Education: French Civil Aviation University

Charley Attali was born in 1930 in Constantine

Attali was born in 1930 in Constantine, Algeria, to a Jewish family. He finished high school early and was sent to France to study at the École nationale de l'aviation civile, where he trained as an engineer.

After completing his studies in 1952, he worked at Sud Aviation and then at SEREB on ballistic missiles. President Charles de Gaulle appointed him to head the Diamant project, and in 1965 he received the Legion of Honour. He then took charge of France's part in the Europa-1 rocket.

In 1969 Moshe Arens of Israel Aerospace Industries asked him to move to Israel and help develop the Kfir fighter jet. Attali agreed and immigrated with his wife and two children.

At Israel Aerospace Industries he took part in developing the Kfir, Arye and Lavi aircraft. For his work on the Scout drone he received the Israel Defense Prize in 1981. He retired in 1995 and died in 2006.