FMA IA-63 Pampa

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

IA-63 Pampa
IA-63 in flight
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 32

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 in 1995,[8] 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.
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.[9] 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.[10] In 2016, a new Argentinian government allowed progress to be made and the first flight of the "Pampa III" took place the same year.[11] As of July 2017, the IA-63 Pampa III project shows few signs of progress. According to the AirForces Monthly magazine, FAdeA is considering cannibalising Pampa II aircraft withdrawn from service in order to enable completion of the three Pampa IIIs scheduled for 2017.[12]
The Argentine Ministry of Defence reached a deal worth $30.3 million with FAdeA for the production of an additional three Phase 3 Pampas in February 2018, after the deal was first revealed in December 2017.[13][14] The first Pampa III, serial E-824, made its maiden flight on 21 September 2018.[15]
The first two Pampa III aircraft were delivered to the Argentine Air Force in February 2019.[16] The last of a total of 6 Pampa III's was delivered on 27 March 2020. [17]
On 3 July 2019, Guatemala signed a contract worth $28 million for two Pampa III jet trainers. This made the Guatemalan Air Force the first export customer for the Pampa III.[18][19] But one day after the purchase was made, the local representative of Transparency International accused President Jimmy Morales of avoiding local legislation on public purchases.[20] This led to the auditor general of Guatemala to cancel the purchase.[21] According to FAdeA, they are still trying to unlock the purchase, and the Argentine government is considering taking legal actions.[22][23]
LMAASA IA 63 Pampa NG
Lockheed Martin collaboration to produce updated Pampas.[24]

Specifications (IA 63)
IA-63 armament

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89 [25] and Air Force Technology[8]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 10.93 m (35 ft 10 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.69 m (31 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 4.29 m (14 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 15.63 m2 (168.2 sq ft)
  • Airfoil: Dornier DoA-7
  • Empty weight: 2,821 kg (6,219 lb)
  • Gross weight: 3,500 kg (7,716 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Honeywell TFE731-2-2N turbofan engine, 15.57 kN (3,500 lbf) thrust

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 819 km/h (509 mph, 442 kn) at 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
  • Cruise speed: 747 km/h (464 mph, 403 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
  • Never exceed speed: M0.81 at 9,500 m (31,200 ft)
  • Range: 1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 12,900 m (42,300 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 30.2 m/s (5,940 ft/min)

Armament

  • Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) Defa-Giat 554 with 145 rounds of ammo.
  • Hardpoints: 5 with a capacity of
    • 400 kg (880 lb) on inboard underwing pylons
    • 250 kg (550 lb) on fuselage centerline and outer wing pylons,
  • Missiles:
    • LAU-32/51 rocket pods
    • LAU-10 rocket pods
  • Bombs:
    • Mk81/ Mk82 cluster bombs
    • CBLS 200 practice bombs

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". Flight International. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. 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. "IA-63 Pampa Advanced Jet Trainer / Light Attack Aircraft". Air Force Technology.
  9. Grana, Juan (12 August 2014). "El Gobierno destinó más de u$s180 millones a una fábrica aeronáutica que aún no construyó un solo avión" [The Government allocated more than US $180 million to an aeronautical factory that has not yet built a single plane]. infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
  10. Federico Luna (22 September 2015). "Numeros imaginarios y numeros reales, la teoria del IA-63 "Pampa"" [Imaginary numbers and real numbers, the theory of IA-63 "Pampa"]. Zona Militar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  11. "Fresh Air at FAdeA". Flight International. Vol. 191 no. 5581. 4 April 2017. p. 25.
  12. Cicalesi, Juan Carlos (July 2017). "Slow progress on IA-63 Pampa III". AirForces Monthly. No. 352. Key Publishing. p. 19.
  13. Gonzales, Diego; Wasserbly, Daniel (28 February 2018). "Argentine MoD, FAdeA reach deal for three Pampa IIIs". Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  14. Donald, David (1 March 2018). "Pampa III Trainer Contract Approved". Aviation International News. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. Rivas, Santiago (24 September 2018). "First series-production Pampa III makes maiden flight". IHS Jane's 360. Buenos Aires. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  16. Rivas, Santiago (19 February 2019). "Argentine Air Force receives first two Pampa IIIs". Jane's 360. Buenos Aires. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  17. https://www.janes.com/article/95193/argentina-completes-receipt-of-second-batch-of-pampa-iii-jets
  18. http://alert5.com/2019/07/06/guatemala-buys-2-pampa-iiis/
  19. https://www.janes.com/article/89722/argentina-sells-pair-of-pampa-iiis-to-guatemala
  20. Origlia, Gabriela (12 July 2019). "Guatemala suspendió la compra de los aviones Pampa III a la Argentina". La Nación. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  21. "Fadea insistirá en la venta antes de demandar a Guatemala". La Voz del Interior. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  22. "El Gobierno presentará un reclamo ante Guatemala e intentará reflotar la venta de los Pampa III". Ámbito Financiero. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  23. https://www.janes.com/article/89909/guatemala-cancels-its-pampa-iii-purchase
  24. Jackson, Paul, ed. (2000). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 2000–01 (91st ed.). Coulsdon, Surrey, United Kingdom: Jane's Information Group. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0710620118.
  25. Taylor 1988, pp. 3–4.

Bibliography
  • Flores, Jackson, (Jr). "The Pampa...A Tutor with a Teutonic Flavour". Air International, February 1987, Vol 32 No. 2. Bromley, UK:Fine Scroll. ISSN 0306-5634. pp. 59–66, 90.
  • Lambert, Mark (ed.) Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1992–93. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1992. ISBN 0-7106-0987-6.
  • Rivas, Santiago. "Pampas head for higher ground". Air International, November 2020, Vol. 99, No. 5. pp. 42–47. ISSN 0306-5634
  • Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
  • Taylor, Michael J.H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000. London:Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1-85753-245-7.

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