FMA IA 63 Pampa

IA-63 Pampa
IA-63 in Mendoza, Argentina
Role Trainer aircraft
National origin Argentina
Manufacturer FAdeA
First flight 6 October 1984
Introduction April 1988
Status In service
Primary user Argentine Air Force
Produced 1984-present
Number built 27


The IA-63 Pampa is an advanced trainer aircraft with combat capability, produced in Argentina by Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) with assistance from Dornier of Germany.

Design and development

Preliminary design studies for a replacement for the Morane-Saulnier MS-760 of the Argentine Air Force started at the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) in 1978, with these studies resulting in selection of a proposal powered by a single Garrett TFE731 turbofan with high, unswept wings. At the same time the FMA signed a partnership agreement with Dornier to develop the new aircraft.[1]

Although influenced by the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet design, the Pampa differs in being a smaller aircraft, it is also single-engined and has straight supercritical wings rather than the swept ones of the Alpha Jet. It is constructed mainly of aluminium alloy, with carbon-fibre used for components such as the air intakes. The crew of two sit in tandem under a single-piece clamshell canopy.[2] The avionics systems are also simpler than the Franco-German aircraft, which has an important secondary combat role. The Pampa prototype first flew on 6 October 1984.[3]

Variants

IA 63

Production of the initial series has been delayed and hampered by the state of the Argentinian economy, and as a result only 18 production aircraft have been built in the first batch (1988–90) and six in the second batch (2006–07) for the Argentine Air Force. First deliveries occurred in April 1988.[4] The 18 aircraft are in service, all modernized, with the IV Brigada Aérea (English: IV Air Brigade) at Mendoza for the advanced training role of Argentine pilots.[5]

Vought Pampa 2000

In the 1990s, LTV/Vought selected the IA 63 as the basis for the Pampa 2000, which Vought entered into the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System competition for the United States Air Force.[6] The Pampa 2000 lost to the Beechcraft/Raytheon entry which became the T-6 Texan II.[7]

AT-63 Pampa "Phase 2"

With the acquisition of FMA by Lockheed Martin the Pampa was upgraded with a new engine and a more advanced avionics package compatible with the A-4AR and weapons system. This new project was called AT-63 Pampa "Phase 2"(for attack trainer) and was marketed by Lockheed Martin. The only client is the Argentine Air Force.

IA-63 Pampa GT "Phase 3"

A third batch of forty new units of the redesigned Pampa was announced by FADEA on 10 October 2013.[8] After a long delay, finally in 2015 a prototype of the third version of the IA-63 Pampa was introduced to the press. However, rampant inflation and a severe recession have made impossible for the Argentine government to finance the manufacturing of any of the promised planes. [9]

Specifications (IA 63)

IA-63 armament

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89 [10]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Flores 1987, pp. 59—60.
  2. ↑ Flores 1987, p.64.
  3. ↑ Flores 1987, p.66.
  4. ↑ Taylor 1999, p.1.
  5. ↑ "Argentina to buy 40 more Pampas". Flightglobal.com. Flight International. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Split between two Mendoza-based units, the 12 surviving Pampas from an original 16-aircraft batch have all been upgraded to near Series II standard. They are expected to be rotated through FAdeA's installations for re-engining, along with six newly-built IA-63s delivered between 2004 and 2008.
  6. ↑ Lambert 1992, p. 2.
  7. ↑ Warwick, Graham (21–27 February 1996). "Turboprop Triumph". Flight International. Vol. 149 no. 4511. p. 23.
  8. ↑ Graña, Juan (12 October 2014). "El Gobierno destinó más de u$s180 millones a una fábrica aeronáutica que aún no construyó un solo avión". infobae.com. Archived 16 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ http://zona-militar.com/2015/09/22/numeros-imaginarios-y-numeros-reales-la-teoria-del-ia-63-pampa/
  10. ↑ Taylor 1988, pp. 3—4.
Bibliography
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