FMA IA-63 Pampa (Prairie)

FMA IA-63 History of Pampa (Prairie)

The world's relatively small air powers - like Argentina - rely on cheaper ways to store their aircraft inventories. In 1988, the Argentine Air Force adopted the FMA IA-63 "Pampa" (translated as "prairie") as its standard jet trainer, with the inherent light-strike capability as a secondary aircraft. 27 of this type were procured from 1984 and manufacturing was taken over by Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA).

As of this writing (2014), the IA-63 is still in service.

Due to the limited capacity of Argentina's aviation industry, the country has partnered with German aircraft manufacturer DORNIER to develop its Pampa aircraft. To date, the Argentine Air Force has used the French-born Morane-Saulnier MS-760 "Paris" as its main trainer. In total, the French company produced only 165 of these aircraft, which were in service from 1959 to 1997 when they were retired by the French.

The Argentines held them for a little longer, only withdrawing their stake in 2007.

Design work on the "Pampa" began in 1978, with a single-engine, single-wing, high-wing platform chosen for ease of maintenance and repair. Instead of building an entirely new aircraft from scratch, the DORNIER "Alpha Jet" was chosen as the basis for the needs of the Argentine Air Force, which led to the collaboration between FMA and DORNIER.

The end result is a smaller aircraft that mimics the design lines of the original Alpha Jet. Other important differences are the single-engine layout as opposed to the twin-engine configuration of the Alpha Jet and the straight monoplane of the Pampa (the Alpha Jet has a swept-wing main aircraft). The wheeled tricycle landing gear is fully retractable, the air intakes are mounted on the sides of the fuselage, and the two crew members sit under the one-piece side-hinged canopy with excellent visibility from the cockpit. The wing main aircraft is mounted high along the sides of the fuselage, and each wing element is fitted with two pylons. Their high positioning provides excellent ground clearance for managing stores (bombs, rocket pods, cannon pods).

The fins use a single vertical fin, and the engine is dropped from the bottom of the fin.

Dimensions include a length of 35.10 feet, a height of 14 feet, and a wingspan of 31.9 feet. Curb weight is 6,220 lbs and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 11,025 lbs.

A Garrett TFE731-2-N turbofan engine rated at 3,500 lbf provides adequate performance. Top speed is maintained at 510 mph subsonic, and cruising speed is in the 465 mph range. Range is 932 miles and service is capped at 42,325 feet. Climb to about 6,000 feet per minute.

As the IA-63 was designed to take on a secondary light attack combat role, its design supported a 30mm DEFA-GIAT 554 series gun. A total of five hardpoints (four lower wings) allow up to 1,430 pounds of external supplies to be carried.

The centerline position of the fuselage is limited to 550 lbs. of gross weight, as is the position under the two outboard wings.

The earliest model in service was the IA-63, and the aircraft was realized as early as 1984, but the economic situation in Argentina at the time meant that a viable capability was not reached until 1988. Two production batches were signed, the first delivering eighteen airframes, the second and an additional six airframes. The planes were later upgraded to AT-63 Pampa standard by Lockheed Martin and equipped with a more advanced/modern avionics suite, wider weapons support for existing Argentine Air Force ammunition, and new engine trims.

By then Lockheed had taken over FMA from Argentina.

Vought "Pampa 2000" was a short-lived upgrade adventure led by LTV (Vought) in the 1990s to provide a new "common service" "universal trainer" for the United States Air Force (USAF)/United States Navy (USN). Instead, in 1995, the service named the Beechcraft T-6 "Texan II" as the competition's winner.

The Argentine Air Force remains the sole operator of the IA-63 Pampa.

The FMA is now known as Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA).

The Pampa underwent a modernization program including a new generation of avionics (Elbit glass cockpit, helmet-mounted sun visor system). The Argentine Air Force, known as "Pampa III," plans to use 40 systems, 20 of which are for light attack missions. Aircraft meeting this criteria first flew on March 29, 2016.

The Pampa III was supplied to India to replace the discontinued Kiran jet trainer series.

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