FAdeA - Argentine Aircraft Factory

Pampa III is the latest development version of the IA63 Pampa training aircraft, constructed in the early 80s in cooperation with Dornier. The digital avionics of the Israeli company Elbit Systems and improved Honeywell TFE731-40-2N ​​engines were used.

Fábrica Argentina de Aviones' Brig. San Martín ”SA (FAdeA) has existed under this name since December 2009, ie only 10 years. Its traditions date back to the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA), established in 1927 - the oldest aviation factory in South America. The Argentine company has never belonged to the group of major aircraft manufacturers in the world, and even in its own South American backyard, it was defeated by the Brazilian Embraer. Its history and achievements are not widely known, so they deserve attention even more.

FAdeA is a joint stock company (sociedad anónima) owned by the state treasury - 99% of the shares are owned by the Argentine Ministry of Defense (Ministerio de Defensa), and 1% belongs to the Main Board of Military Production (Dirección General de Fabricaciones Militares, DGFM) subordinate to this ministry. The President and CEO is Antonio José Beltramone, José Alejandro Solís vice president and chief operating officer and Fernando Jorge Sibilla is the CEO. The headquarters and production plant are located in Córdoba. Currently, FAdeA is engaged in the design and production of military and civil aircraft, aircraft construction elements for other companies, parachutes, ground tools and equipment for aircraft maintenance, as well as servicing, repair, overhaul and modernization of airframes, engines, avionics and equipment for domestic and foreign customers.

In 2018, FAdeA achieved revenue from sales of products and services of 1,513 billion pesos (an increase of 86,2% compared to 2017), but due to high costs of its own, it recorded an operating loss of 590,2 million pesos. Thanks to revenues from other sources, gross profit (before tax) was 449,5 million pesos (in 2017 it was a loss of 182,2 million), and net profit was 380 million pesos (a loss of 2017 million in 172,6).

Ae.M.Oe observation plane. 2. By 1937, 61 Ae.MO1, Ae.M.Oe.1 and Ae.M.Oe.2 were built. Many of them served in the Argentine Air Force until 1946.

Plant construction

The originator of the construction of an aircraft and aircraft engine factory in Argentina, and later its organizer and first director, was Francisco María de Arteaga. After leaving the army in March 1916, de Arteaga left for France and in mid-1918 he graduated from the Parisian Higher School of Aviation and Mechanical Engineering (École Supérieure d'Aéronautique et de Constructions Mécaniques), becoming the first Argentine certified aeronautical engineer. For several years, de Arteaga worked in France, gaining practical experience in the local aviation plants and in the Eiffel Aerodynamic Laboratory (Laboratoire Aérodynamique Eiffel). On December 14, 1922, a few weeks after his return to Argentina, de Arteaga was appointed head of the Technical Department (Departamento Técnico) of the Military Aviation Service (Servicio Aeronáutico del Ejército, SAE), established on February 3, 1920 in the structure of the Argentine Army (Ejército Argentino ). In 1923, de Arteaga began lecturing at the Higher Military School (Colegio Militar) and the Military Aviation School (Escuela Militar de Aviación, EMA).

In 1924, de Arteaga became a member of the Air Equipment and Armaments Purchase Commission (Comisión de Adquisición de Material de Vuelo y Armamentos), sent to Europe to purchase aircraft for the Land Forces. It was at this time that he proposed the creation of a factory in Argentina, thanks to which SAE could become independent from the import of aircraft and engines and use small funds more efficiently. Own factory would also give impetus to the industrialization and economic development of the country. De Arteaga's idea was supported by the President of Argentina, Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, and the Minister of War, Col. Eng. Agustín Pedro Justo.

At de Arteagi's request, part of the funds was spent on the purchase of machinery, materials and licenses needed to start the production of aircraft and engines in the country. In Great Britain, licenses were purchased for the production of Avro 504R training planes and Bristol F.2B Fighter fighter planes, and in France for the production of Dewoitine D.21 fighter jets and 12hp Lorraine-Dietrich 450-cylinder engines. As it was not possible to start the production of many precision devices in Argentina due to the weakness of the metallurgical and machine industry, a significant amount of materials and finished devices and components were bought in Europe.

The plan to build and organize the factory, initially named the State Aircraft Factory (Fábrica Nacional de Aviones), was submitted to the Argentine authorities in April 1926. On June 8, the government established a special commission to implement the investment, of which de Arteaga became a member. The design of the first stage of construction was approved on October 4. As early as 1925, the Inspector General del Ejército, General José Félix Uriburu, proposed that the factory be located in Córdoba, in the center of the country (about 700 km from Buenos Aires), far from the borders of neighboring countries, for strategic reasons.

A suitable site was found about 5 km from the city center on the road to San Roque, opposite the airport of the local aeroclub (Aero Club Las Playas de Córdoba). The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone took place on November 10, 1926, and on January 2, 1927, construction works began. The task of organizing the factory was entrusted to de Arteaga.

On July 18, 1927, the name of the factory was changed to Wojskowa Fabryka Samolotów (Fábrica Militar de Aviones, FMA). Its ceremonial opening took place on October 10 in the presence of numerous officials. At that moment, the factory consisted of eight buildings with a total area of ​​8340 m2, the machine park consisted of 100 machine tools, and the crew consisted of 193 people. De Arteaga became the general manager of the FMA.

In February 1928, the second stage of the investment was started. three laboratories (engines, endurance and aerodynamics), a design office, four workshops, two warehouses, a canteen and other facilities. Later, after the completion of the third stage, the FMA had three main departments: the first was management, production supervision, design office, technical documentation archive, laboratories and administration; the second - aircraft and propeller workshops, and the third - engine production workshops.

In the meantime, on May 4, 1927, the Argentine authorities established the General Aviation Authority (Dirección General de Aeronáutica, DGA) to organize, manage and oversee all aviation activities in the country. As part of the DGA, the Aviation Technology Management Board (Dirección de Aerotécnica) was established, responsible for research, design, production and repair of aircraft. De Arteaga became the head of the Aviation Technology Management Board, who exercised direct supervision over the FMA. Thanks to his greater competences, he managed to lead the factory through the most difficult period of the global economic crisis, which also affected Argentina. Due to the excessive interference of the new state authorities in the factory's operations, on February 11, 1931, de Arteaga resigned from the position of FMA director. He was succeeded by aviation engineer Cpt. Bartolomé de la Colina, who ran the factory until September 1936.

The beginning of production - FMA

FMA started with the licensed production of Avro 504R Gosport training planes. The first of 34 built copies left the workshop building on July 18, 1928. Its flight was carried out by the military pilot Sgt. Segundo A. Yubel on August 20. On February 14, 1929, the first licensed Lorraine-Dietrich engine was put into operation on the dynamometer. Engines of this type were used to propel Dewoitine D.21 fighters. The production of these aircraft was much more challenging for the young manufacturer than the Avro 504R, as the D.21 had an all-metal construction with canvas covering for the wings and tail. The first flight was flown on October 15, 1930. Within two years, 32 D.21 were built. Between 1930 and 1931, six Bristol F.2B fighters were also produced, but these planes were considered obsolete and the construction of further machines was abandoned.

The first airplane constructed independently by the FMA on behalf of the DGA was the tourist Ae.C.1 - a cantilever low wing aircraft with a covered three-seater cabin and a fixed two-wheel undercarriage with a tail skid. The fuselage and tail had a lattice structure made of welded steel pipes, the wings were made of wood, and the whole was covered with canvas and partly sheet metal (other planes built at the FMA also had a similar structure). The plane was flown on October 28, 1931 by Sgt. José Honorio Rodríguez. Later, the Ae.C.1 was rebuilt into an open-cab two-seater version and the engine got a NACA-style cover instead of a Townend ring. In 1933, the plane was rebuilt a second time, this time into a single-seater version with an additional fuel tank in the fuselage.

On April 18, 1932, Sgt. Rodríguez flew the first of the two Ae.C.2 aircraft built, almost identical to the structure and dimensions of the Ae.C.1 in a two-seater configuration. On the basis of Ae.C.2, the Ae.ME1 military training plane was created, the prototype of which was flown on October 9, 1932. It was the first mass-produced aircraft of the Polish design - seven examples were built along with the prototype. The next plane was the light passenger Ae.T.1. The first of the three built copies was flown on April 15, 1933 by Sgt. Rodríguez. In addition to the two pilots seated side by side in the open cabin, the Ae.T.1 could take five passengers in the covered cabin and a radio operator.

The Ae.MO1 observation plane, based on the school's Ae.ME1, turned out to be a great success. Its prototype flew on January 25, 1934. For military aviation, 41 copies were produced in two series. Another six machines, differing slightly with a smaller wingspan, different configuration of the rear cabin, tail shape and NACA engine cover, were built for the training of observers. Soon the planes used for such tasks were renamed the Ae.M.Oe.1. In the next 14 copies, marked as Ae.M.Oe.2, the tail and windscreen in front of the pilot's cabin were modified. The first one was flew on June 7, 1934. Ae.M.Oe.2 part was also rebuilt to Ae.MO1. By 1937, 61 Ae.MO1, Ae.M.Oe.1 and Ae.M.Oe.2 were built in total. Many of them served in the Argentine Air Force until 1946.

The next civilian aircraft built by the FMA was the Ae.C.3 two-seater tourist aircraft, modeled on the Ae.C.2. The flight of the prototype took place on March 27, 1934. It quickly turned out that the Ae.C.3 had not the best flight properties and poor maneuverability, making it unsuitable for inexperienced pilots. Although 16 copies were built, only a few flew in flying clubs, and four were used in military aviation until 1938.

On June 9, 1935, the prototype of the Ae.MB1 light bomber was flown. Until the spring of 1936, 14 serial copies, called "Bombi" by pilots, were produced, differing, among others, by with a covered pilot's cabin, canvas covering of most of the fuselage, enlarged vertical tail and a hemispherical rotating shooting turret on the spine of the fuselage, as well as the Wright R-1820-E1 engine, produced by the FMA under license. In the years 1938–1939, all Ae.MB1 (12 copies) in service were upgraded to the Ae.MB2 version. The last copies were withdrawn from service in 1948.

On November 21, 1935, the Ae.MS1 medical plane was tested, with wings, tail and landing gear made of Ae.M.Oe.1. The plane could carry six people - a pilot, a paramedic and four sick or injured on a stretcher. The only built Ae.MS1 was used in military aviation until 1946. Also in November 1935, the first in South America Eiffel wind tunnel with a diameter of 1,5 m was completed. The device started operating on August 20, 1936.

On January 21, 1936, Lieutenant Pablo G. Passio flew a prototype of the Ae.C.3G two-seater with a construction similar to Ae.C.3. It was the first Argentine plane to be equipped with landing flaps. It could be used for both training and tourist flights. The airframe has been carefully aerodynamically developed to increase performance and improve flight performance. Three Ae.C.3G built copies served in the military aviation until 1942. The development of Ae.C.3G was Ae.C.4, flown by Lieutenant Passio on October 17, 1936.