Top speed 819 km/h Wingspan 9.68 m Cruise speed 747 km/h First flight October 6, 1984 | Range 1,500 km Length 11 m Engine type Garrett TFE731 | |
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Fma ia 63 pampa
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.
Contents
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.
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. 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.
Variants
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. 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.
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. The Pampa 2000 lost to the Beechcraft/Raytheon entry which became the T-6 Texan II.
With the acquisition of FMA by Lockheed Martin in 1995, 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.
A third batch of forty new units of the redesigned Pampa was announced by FADEA on 10 October 2013. 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.
Specifications (IA 63)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89 and Air Force Technology
General characteristics
Performance
Armament