PADC Defiant 300

The PADC Defiant 300 is a prototype aircraft developed by the Philippines Aerospace Development Company (PADC) in cooperation with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Philippine Aerospace and Sciences Foundation (PASF). The project was made possible through Capt. Panfillo Villaruel, the man who designed the aircraft, and the one who also contributed to the creation of the first indigenous Filipino-made helicopter, the PADC Hummingbird. The first prototype was completed in 1986 and had its maiden flight in 1987, which lasted a little more than an hour. The Defiant 300's fuselage was of composite construction (wood and fiberglass) and was powered by a 300 hp Lycoming piston engine. Landing gear was taken from the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor and provided by the PAF. The intent of the program was to provide the PAF with a trainer and light strike aircraft similar in performance to the Embraer EMB 312 Tucano. The Defiant 300 was to have been followed by a larger version equipped with a turboprop engine and designated the "Defiant 500". The project languished soon after the development of the prototype because of lack of government support. Currently, the sole remaining prototype now lies abandoned and displayed in a hangar at the Philippine State College of Aeronautics.