The
Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA, or Military Aircraft Factory) is
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
's main manufacturer of
military aircraftA military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is in the current employ of a military power. Fixed-wing military aircraft are also known as Warplanes....
. Formed on October 10, 1927 it is owned by the Argentine government. It was privatized in 1995 with
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a multinational aerospace manufacturer, global security and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed with Martin Marietta. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin employs 146,000 people...
given its concession for 25 years with two additional ten-year options. It is currently known as
Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA. On October 23rd 2008 agreements were signed to revert the concession back to the Argentine state on 31st December 2008.
The FMA has produced numerous innovative aircraft prototypes, but the state of the Argentine economy has prevented most of them from entering large-scale production.
The
Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA, or Military Aircraft Factory) is
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
's main manufacturer of
military aircraftA military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is in the current employ of a military power. Fixed-wing military aircraft are also known as Warplanes....
. Formed on October 10, 1927 it is owned by the Argentine government. It was privatized in 1995 with
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a multinational aerospace manufacturer, global security and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed with Martin Marietta. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin employs 146,000 people...
given its concession for 25 years with two additional ten-year options. It is currently known as
Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA. On October 23rd 2008 agreements were signed to revert the concession back to the Argentine state on 31st December 2008.
Background
The FMA has produced numerous innovative aircraft prototypes, but the state of the Argentine economy has prevented most of them from entering large-scale production. Nevertheless the FMA has managed to put several aircraft types of more conventional designs into full productions. It also engaged in production of licensed aircraft from other countries.
The prefixes used for the aircraft locally developed (and produced) are:
- Ae, for "Dirección General de Aerotécnica", on the first period (1927-1936);
- F.M.A., for "Fábrica Militar de Aviones", on the second period (1938-1943);
- I.Ae., for "Instituto Aerotécnico", on the third period (1943-1952);
- IA, meaning not specified, on the fourth (current) period (1952 to 2007).
Aircraft and Projects
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Year
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc; width:200px; "|Model
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Built
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Obs
|-----
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center; background: #C4CCFC;" |Started as
Instituto Aerotécnico
|-----
|1928
|
Avro 504K "Gosport"The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...
|31
|Biplane basic trainer, license-built. First aircraft produced by FMA.
|-----
|1930
|
Dewoitine D.21The Dewoitine D.21 was 1920s French open-cockpit, fixed-undercarriage monoplane fighter aircraft.-Development:The prototype D.21 was a development of the D.12...
|35
|Biplane fighter, license-built.
|-----
|1931
|Ae.C.1
|1
|Civil tourism aircraft
prototypeA prototype is an original type, form, or instance of something serving as a typical example, basis, or standard for other things of the same category...
(initial version); basic trainer (later version). First national design.
|-----
|1932
|Ae C2 / Ae.M.E.1
|2
|Civil tourism aircraft (C2); basic military trainer (M.E.1)
|-----
|1933
|Ae.T.1
|3
|Transport/commercial aircraft
|-----
|1934
|Ae.M.O.1
|41
|Observation monoplane
|-----
|1934
|Ae.M.Oe.1 / Ae.M.Oe.2
|6+14
|Variant of the Ae.M.O.1, observation and training
|-----
|1934
|Ae.C.3
|16
|Civil aircraft.
|-----
|1935
|Ae.M.B.1 / Ae.M.B.2 Bombi
|1+14
|First bomber aircraft built by FMA
|-----
|1935
|Ae. M.S.1
|1
|Sanitary aircraft
|-----
|1936
|Ae.C.3G
|1
|Tourism aircraft.
|-----
|1936
|Ae.C. 4
|1
|Improved prototype version of the C.3G
|-----
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center; background: #C4CCFC;"|Name changed to
Fabrica Militar de Aviones
|-----
|1940
|Curtiss "Hawk" 75O
|20
|License built version of the US monoplane fighter Curtiss Hawk 75
|-----
|1940
|
Focke-Wulf Fw-44J "Stieglitz"The Focke-Wulf Fw 44 is a 1930s German two-seat biplane known as the Stieglitz . It was produced by the Focke-Wulf company as a pilot training and sport flying aircraft. It was also eventually built under license in several other countries....
|190
|License built version of the German biplane trainer Focke-Wulf Fw 44
|-----
|1940
|F.M.A. 20 "El Boyero" (I.Ae. 20)
|130
|Tourism aircraft, series built by "Industrias Petrolini"
|-----
|1943
|F.M.A. 21
|1
|Advanced trainer aircraft protorype, based on the North American NA-16-1P fuselage.
|-----
|1943
|I.Ae. 22 "DL"
|206
|Advanced trainer aircraft
|-----
|1945
|I.Ae. 23
|1
|Basic trainer prototype, based on the Focke-Wulf Fw44J
|-----
|1945
|
I.Ae. 25 MañqueThe I.Ae. 25 Mañque was an Argentine assault troop/cargo glider designed at the Instituto Aerotecnico. The prototype was finished on 11 August 1945, and it flew only once before it was cancelled...
|1
|Assault/Transport glider.
|-----
|1946
|
I.Ae. 24 CalquínThe I.Ae.24 "Calquin" was designed and built by Instituto Aerotécnico in Argentina in the immediate post-World War II era. Although superficially a "look-alike" for the de Havilland Mosquito, the I.Ae.24 was powered by twin Pratt & Whitney R-1830-G “Twin Wasp” radials giving it a distinct...
|100
|Attack/Light bomber
|-----
|1947
|
I.Ae. 27 Pulqui IThe I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I was an Argentine jet fighter designed at the "Instituto Aerotecnico" in 1946.-Design and development:...
|1
|Jet fighter prototype, first of its kind built in Latin America.
|-----
|1947
|I.Ae. 31 Colibrí
|3
|Two-seat Trainer aircraft
|-----
|1948
|
I.Ae. 30 ÑancúThe I.Ae. 30 "Ñancú" was an Argentine twin-engined combat aircraft designed by the "Instituto Aerotecnico" in the late 1940s, similar to the de Havilland Hornet.-Design and development:...
|1
|Fighter/Attack prototype
|-----
|1949
|I.Ae. 32 Chingolo
|1
|Tourism/Trainer aircraft
|-----
|1949
|I.Ae. 34 Clen Antú
|3+1+3
|Glider, flying wing. Designed by
Reimar HortenWalter and Reimar Horten , sometimes credited as the Horten Brothers, were German aircraft pilots and enthusiasts...
.
|-----
|1950
|
I.Ae. 33 Pulqui IIFMA IAe 33 Pulqui II, more commonly known as the Pulqui II, was a jet fighter aircraft developed between the years 1950–53, in Argentina, during the Perón government...
|5
|First swept-wing jet fighter designed in
Latin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish, Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,501 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
|-----
|1953
|
I.Ae. 35 HuanqueroThe DINFIA IA 35 Huanquero was a 1950s Argentine twin-engined general-purpose monoplane aircraft built by the DINFIA.-Development:The IA 35 Huanquero was the first design from the DINFIA organisation to enter production. A twin-engined all metal low-wing cantilever monoplane...
|2+3+20+9(+1+1)
|Transport aircraft; variants "Constancia" and "Pandora" executive aircraft.
|-----
|1953
|I.Ae. 41 Urubú
|4
|Flying-wing glider, designed by
Reimar HortenWalter and Reimar Horten , sometimes credited as the Horten Brothers, were German aircraft pilots and enthusiasts...
.
|-----
|1953
|I.Ae. 43 Pulqui III
|0
|Project, swept-wing supersonic jet fighter
|-----
|
|I.Ae. 36 "Cóndor"
|0
|Project unbuilt, civil transport
|-----
|1954
|I.Ae. 37
|1
|Supersonic delta-wing interceptor, designed by
Reimar HortenWalter and Reimar Horten , sometimes credited as the Horten Brothers, were German aircraft pilots and enthusiasts...
. Glider, unpowered prototype only.
|-----
|1960
|
I.Ae. 38 NaranjeroThe DINFIA IA 38 was a 1960s Argentine four-engine experimental flying-wing transport, designed under the direction of Reimar Horten and based on the German Horten Ho VIII project and built by the DINFIA.-Development:...
|1
|Flying-wing transport/cargo, designed by
Reimar HortenWalter and Reimar Horten , sometimes credited as the Horten Brothers, were German aircraft pilots and enthusiasts...
.
|-----
|1953
|I.Ae. 44 "DL" II
|0
|Advanced trainer (project, unbuilt)
|-----
|1959
|
I.Ae. 45 QuerandíThe DINFIA IA 45 Querandi was a 1950s Argentine twin-engined light transport aircraft built by the DINFIA.-Development:The IA 45 Querandi was designed as an executive and light transport. A twin-engined all metal high-wing cantilever monoplane with an upswept rear fuselage. It had a tailplane with...
|2
|Executive transport, prototypes only (NOTE: some sources mention "1957" and "1" built)
|-----
|1957
|I.Ae. 46 Ranquel
|101+116
|2-seat utility aircraft. Second series, enhanced variant "Super Ranquel".
|-----
|1960
|IA 35 Guaraní I
|1
|Approximate date, transport derived from the I.Ae. 35 "Huanquero"
|-----
|1963
|
FMA IA 50 Guaraní IIThe I.A. 50 Guarani II was an Argentine Multipurpose aircraft designed at the DINFIA in the early 1960s.-History:...
|1+2+18+14
|Transport aircraft, derived from the IA 35 Guaraní I
|-----
|
|Beechcraft
T-34 MentorThe Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
|75
|Trainer, licence built
|-----
|1960
|Morane-Saulnier MS-760 Paris
|48
|Trainer, licence built
|-----
|1975
|
FMA IA 58 PucaráThe FMA IA 58 Pucará is an Argentine ground-attack, counter-insurgency aircraft. A low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with a retractable landing gear, it was manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones.-Development:...
|120
|Counter-insurgency/light attack aircraft
|-----
|1990
|
Embraer/FMA CBA 123 VectorThe Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector was a 1990 turboprop aircraft designed for regional flights, to carry up to 19 passengers. The program arose from a partnership between the Brazilian company Embraer and the Argentine company Fábrica Militar de Aviones ...
|2
|Turboprop 19-passenger regional airliner, only protptypes built before being cancelled
|-----
|
|
FMA SAIA 90The FMA SAIA 90 was an air superiority aircraft designed by the FMA with the collaboration of Dornier in the mid-1980s...
|
|Supersonic air superiority jet fighter project, unbuilt (mid-1980's)
|-----
|1984
|
FMA IA 63 PampaThe FMA IA 63 Pampa is an advanced trainer aircraft with combat capability, produced in Argentina by Fabrica Militar de Aviones with assistance from Dornier of Germany.-Design and development:...
|20+12
|Advanced trainer. AT-63 currently under production
|-----
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center; background: #C4CCFC;"|Name changed to
Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA
|-----
|1999
|
A-4AR FightinghawkThe Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk is a major upgrade of the A-4M Skyhawk attack aircraft developed for the Argentine Air Force.-Background:The 1982 Falklands War took a heavy toll on the Argentine Air Force, which lost over 60 aircraft...
|18
|other 18 by
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a multinational aerospace manufacturer, global security and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed with Martin Marietta. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin employs 146,000 people...
in
PasadenaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States; and is a satellite city of Los Angeles. Famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the...
, CA.
|-----
|2003
|
T-34 MentorThe Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
|
|Refurbished of
ArgentineThe Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the armed forces of Argentina. As of 2007, it had 14,606 airmen and 6,854 civilans on duty.-History:...
and
Bolivia- Army :The Bolivian Army has around 55,500 men. There were six military regions in the army. RM 1, headquartered in La Paz, encompassed most of La Paz Department. RM 2, headquartered in Sucre, included Cochabanba Department and most of Chuquisaca Department. RM 3, based in Tarija, consisted of...
Air Forces
|-----
|2006
|
C-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. Capable of takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft...
|
|Refurbished of
ArgentineThe Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the armed forces of Argentina. As of 2007, it had 14,606 airmen and 6,854 civilans on duty.-History:...
and
ColombianThe Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of The Republic of Colombia.-Creation:Military aviation began in Colombia in 1919 with the creation of a military aviation school for the Colombian Army. Previously by Law 15 of 1916 of September 7 two commissions were sent overseas to study new...
Air Forces
|-----
|}
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