Fábrica Argentina de Aviones
| Company type | State-owned company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace, Defense |
| Predecessor | Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) |
| Founded | October 10, 1927 in Córdoba, Argentina |
| Fate | Privatized in 1995; re-nationalized in 2009 |
| Headquarters | Córdoba , Argentina |
Area served | Argentina |
| Products | Aircraft design, manufacture, maintenance, modernization |
| Owner | Government of Argentina |
| Parent | Government of Argentina |
The Fábrica Argentina de Aviones SA (FAdeA), formally known as Fábrica Argentina de Aviones "Brigadier San Martín" S.A., stands as the leading aircraft producer in Argentina. Founded on 10 October 1927 and situated in Córdoba, the company was originally called "Fábrica Militar de Aviones" (FMA) until it underwent privatization during the 1990s under the management of Lockheed Martin. Since 2009, FAdeA has been entirely owned by the Argentine government.
History
FAdeA was established on 10 October 1927 and achieved its first domestic aircraft completion and testing by July 1928, producing a licensed Avro 504 Gosport trainer powered by a 100 hp Gnome engine. This model attained speeds up to 140 km/h and could remain airborne for two hours. The company’s subsequent manufacturing efforts primarily concentrated on military planes, encompassing both original designs and licensed models.
A significant milestone for FAdeA was the production of Latin America’s inaugural jet fighters: the Pulqui I in 1947 and the Pulqui II in 1950, developed under the guidance of engineers Emile Dewoitine and Kurt Tank, respectively.
During the 1960s, the firm manufactured the Guarani light transport aircraft and the Pucara counter-insurgency plane, followed by the Pampa jet trainer in the 1980s. As of early 2016, both the Pucara and Pampa continue to be operational within the Argentine Air Force.
Privatization (1995)
In 1995, under President Carlos Menem, FMA underwent privatization and was operated through a 25-year concession granted to LAASA (Lockheed Aircraft Argentina SA), a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, until March 2009. The agreement allowed for two extensions of ten years each.
Throughout this privatized period, FMA’s primary role involved maintenance and modernization tasks for Argentine Air Force aircraft.
Nationalization (2010)
In August 2009, during Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration, FMA was re-nationalized with ARS $67 million compensation provided. The legislation governing this expropriation requires that the State maintain majority ownership and control over factory decisions.
Following nationalization, the company was renamed to honor Brigadier Juan Ignacio San Martín, a prominent figure in Argentina’s aeronautical sector who led FMA’s predecessor, Instituto Aerotécnico, in the 1940s.
The United States Department of State announced that effective December 18, 2009, Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina would revert to Fábrica Argentina de Aviones "Brigadier San Martin" S.A., transferring ownership back to the Argentine government.
Aircraft design and production
Although FAdeA has engineered several pioneering aircraft prototypes, budgetary limitations have hindered mass production. Nevertheless, multiple conventional models reached full-scale manufacturing alongside licensed production of foreign designs.
The local aircraft designation prefixes include:
- Ae, representing "Dirección General de Aerotécnica" (1927–1936);
- F.M.A., denoting "Fábrica Militar de Aviones" (1938–1943);
- I.Ae., for "Instituto Aerotécnico" (1943–1952);
- IA, indicating "Instituto Aerotécnico" (1952–present).
List of aircraft manufactured, projected, or upgraded
| Year | Model | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Originally as Instituto Aerotécnico | |||
| 1928 | Avro 504K Gosport | 31 | Basic biplane trainer produced under license; first aircraft manufactured by FMA. |
| 1930 | Dewoitine D.21 | 35 | Monoplane fighter built under license. |
| 1931 | FMA AeC.1 | 1 | Prototype civil tourism plane later adapted as basic trainer; first indigenous design. |
| 1932 | FMA AeC.2 | 2 | Civilian tourism aircraft. |
| 1932 | FMA AeME.1 | 7 | Basic training aircraft for military use. |
| 1933 | FMA AeT.1 | 3 | Commercial/transport airplane. |
| 1934 | FMA AeMO.1 | 41 | Monoplane designed for observation roles. |
| 1934 | FMA AeMOe.1 | 6 | Observation and training derivative of AeMO.1. |
| 1934 | FMA AeMOe.2 | 61 | Variant of AeMOe.1 used for observation and training. |
| 1934 | FMA AeC.3 | 16 | Civil aviation model. |
| 1935 | FMA AeMB.1 | 1 | First bomber produced by FMA. |
| 1935 | FMA AeMB.2 | 14 | Bomber aircraft. |
| Renamed to Fábrica Militar de Aviones | |||
| 1940 | Curtiss Hawk 75O | 20 | "Curtiss Hawk 75" US monoplane fighter built under license. |
| 1940 | Focke-Wulf Fw 44J Stieglitz | 190 | "Fw 44J Stieglitz" German biplane trainer manufactured under license. |
| 1940 | "FMA I.Ae.20 El Boyero" | "130" | "Tourism aircraft series constructed by Industrias Petrolini." |
| "1943" | "FMA I.Ae.21" | "1" | "Prototype advanced trainer based on North American NA-16-1P fuselage." |
| "1943" | "FMA I.Ae.22 DL" | "206" | "Advanced trainer aircraft." |
| "1943" | "FMA I.Ae.23" | "1" | "Basic trainer prototype inspired by Focke-Wulf Fw44J." |
| "1943" | "FMA I.Ae.24 Calquín" | "100" | "Attack/light bomber model." |
| "1945" | "FMA I.Ae.25 Mañque" | "1" | "Assault and transport glider." |
| "1947" | "FMA I.Ae.27 Pulqui" | "1" | "Jet fighter prototype; first of its kind in Latin America." |
| "1948" | "FMA I.Ae.30 Ñancú" | "1" | "Prototype fighter/attack plane." |
| "1947" | "FMA I.Ae.31 Colibrí" | "3" | "Two-seat training aircraft." |
| "1949" | "I.Ae.32 Chingolo" | "1" | "Tourism/trainer airplane." |
| "1950" | "FMA I.Ae.33 Pulqui II" | "5" | 'First swept-wing jet fighter developed in Latin America." |
| "1953" | "FMA IAe 35 Huanquero" | "36" | 'Twin-engine transport craft.' |
| "1960" | 'DINFIA IA 35 Guaraní I' | '1' | 'Transport derived from IAe 35 Huanquero.' |
| '1954' | 'FMA I.Ae.37' | '1' | 'Supersonic delta-wing interceptor glider prototype.' |
| '1960' | 'DINFIA IA 38' | '1' | 'Prototype flying-wing cargo transporter.' |
| (mid-1950s) | 'FMA I.Ae.39' | '0' | 'Cancelled transport design based on IAe 35.' |
| (mid-1980s) | 'IA 67 Córdoba' | '0' | 'Abandoned light transport project.' |
| (mid-1980s) | 'IA 68 ATL' | '0' | 'Discontinued light transport project.' |
| (mid-1980s) | 'FMA SAIA 90' | '0' | 'Cancelled supersonic air superiority jet fighter plan.' |
| (1990) | 'FMA IA 70 / Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector' | '2' | 'Cancelled turboprop airliner seating nineteen passengers.' |
| Renamed as Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA | |||
| (1999) | 'Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk' | '18' | 'Additional units produced by Lockheed Martin in California.' |
| (2003) | 'Beechcraft T-34 Mentor' | 'Refurbishment projects for Argentine and Bolivian Air Forces.' | |
| (2006) | 'Lockheed C-130 Hercules' | 'Overhaul work for Argentine and Colombian Air Forces.' | |
| Renamed as FAdeA S.A. | |||
| (2009) | 'FMA IA 63 Pampa II-40' | 'Upgraded engine installation.' | |
| (2010) | 'FMA IA 58 Pucará' | '1' | 'Engine and avionics modernization (project cancelled).' |
| (2010) | 'FAdeA IA 73' | 'Basic trainer intended to replace T-34 (cancelled).' | |
| (2014) | 'FAdeA IA 100' | '1' | 'Elementary trainer showcasing capabilities of Argentine aerospace industry.' |
| (2018) | 'IA 63 Pampa III Block I' | '6' | 'Third generation Pampa variant with additional orders from Argentine Air Force.' |
See also
- Additional Argentine Aircraft Producers
Bibliography
Further reading
- FÁBRICA MILITAR DE AVIONES: CRÓNICAS Y TESTIMONIOS, accessed 2010-01-18 (PDF). Released 2007 by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina.
- Argentina as an Aircraft Manufacturer (accessed 2016-04-23)