FMA IA-58 Pucara COIN aircraft.

[CRASHGATE3]

Excellent thread......
The Pucara....not one of my favourite aircraft,but it is a flying machine and must be photographed !
A515 taken at Cosford Feb 2007
A549 taken at Duxford April 2007

[CharlesBronson]

Linda pagina che , bienvenido al foro.

[Graeme]

CB..In an old issue of AIR International (October 1977..and yes, I too am old) there is a photo on page 166 of a IA-58 mock-up GLIDER in flight. Complete with nacelles but engine-less?!. Apparently towed into the air for the first time on 26 December 1967. Struck me as an odd way to develop a 'modern aircraft'. Do you have any further information or photos on this unusual glider?

[Glider]

Originally Posted by Graeme

CB..In an old issue of AIR International (October 1977..and yes, I too am old) there is a photo on page 166 of a IA-58 mock-up GLIDER in flight. Complete with nacelles but engine-less?!. Apparently towed into the air for the first time on 26 December 1967. Struck me as an odd way to develop a 'modern aircraft'. Do you have any further information or photos on this unusual glider?

Don't worry I have that edition and all the ones before it so we can form an oldies section

[CharlesBronson]

CB..In an old issue of AIR International (October 1977..and yes, I too am old) there is a photo on page 166 of a IA-58 mock-up GLIDER in flight. Complete with nacelles but engine-less?!. Apparently towed into the air for the first time on 26 December 1967. Struck me as an odd way to develop a 'modern aircraft'. Do you have any further information or photos on this unusual glider

Yes, the first prototipe was a glider, I think that is a legacy left by the german designers who works for the FMA between 1946-55. they used to make an aerodinamical test wooodedn 1:1 mock-up for the Ia-27. 33, and 38.

[CharlesBronson]

Here you go, the first prototipe for the IA 58, a wooden mock up 1:1 scale, the AX-2.

[Graeme]

Originally Posted by Glider

Don't worry I have that edition and all the ones before it so we can form an oldies section

Sounds Good. Do you go back as far as 'Royal Air Force FLYING REVIEW'.. William Green prior to Air International.?!

[Graeme]

Originally Posted by CharlesBronson

Yes, the first prototipe was a glider, I think that is a legacy left by the german designers who works for the FMA between 1946-55. they used to make an aerodinamical test wooodedn 1:1 mock-up for the Ia-27. 33, and 38.

In 'Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1959-60', the Argentine Republic section mentions the I.A 37, a "high-speed delta-wing aircraft". Again, a full-sized engineless version is shown in photographs with a 'Heinkel' like nose. The 3-view shows a proposed production version with a different nose section. Performance is estimated and text mentions that the prototype was "Nearing completion". Did it fly?. Was it intended to be a fighter or high speed research?. Do you have any information/photos/details?.Thanks.

[CharlesBronson]

The IA-37 was a Reimar Horten & Karl Nickel desing, it flies but only as a glider since the promised 2 Rolls Royce avon never were delivered by political reasons.



There was two types of nose , one all glazed with the pilot in prone position and other with a normal cockpit.





The final aircraft should look as a Mirage III but with two engines in the wing roots.

more pictures here:

C. M. A. .."Club de Modelistas Argentina"..

[Graeme]

I've just polished off my third glass of red wine and continue to look at your last posting photographs in intoxicated awe. Wonderful photographs. The last one depicting the proposed finished product looks like something from the TV series 'THUNDERBIRDS'!. Certainly smaller than the Mirage 550. What an amazing collection of aircraft in a South American country influenced by fugitive? German designers. You're doing your countries aviation history a valuable service.
Which brings me to the Horten brothers. One last request. As a junior member I don't know if the I.A 38 has been covered in this forum but I would appreciate any input you have on this aircraft. The only reference I have illustrating this peculiar and fascinating transport aircraft is a copy of 'Jane's Pocket Book 12-Research and Experimental Aircraft' (1976). It mentions that the project "was suspended in late 1960". Reasons?.apart from looking like a design straight out of Nazi Germany circa 1943-45. It would have fitted easily into Spielberg's 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Cheers, and thanks for the photos.

[CharlesBronson]

I've just polished off my third glass of red wine and continue to look at your last posting photographs in intoxicated awe. Wonderful photographs.

Thanks. Red wine ?, I see that you are man that enjoy the good things on life.

I going to create a topic devoted exclusively to the foreing desings in Argentina in orden to do not derail this, I will aswer you there. (post war section).

[CharlesBronson]

IA-58As flying over the Cordoba s pampa, this ones are from the first production series with natural metal finish.





IA-58A painted for a weird customer, the tiny african country of Mauritania, since were a lot of troubles in payment the small batch of 6 airplanes were handed over to the 4th Air Brigade of the AAF. This aircraft carry a tipical loadout, 4 CITEFA launchers with a total of 76x70mm rockets and 6 x100 kg frag bombs.







IA-58A captured intact by british Forces in Malvinas, this carry and aditional belgian made FN container with 2 x 7,62mm mgs in the centreline pod. ( is the a-549 depicted by CRASHGATE above)

[Graeme]

Charles, found this 3-view of the IA-55 in Jane's 1964-1965. Described as-
.."a two-seat turboprop-powered aircraft specifically for Co-In (counter insurgency) operations. Design work began in July 1963 and a prototype is under construction".

Precursor to IA-58? What happened to the prototype under construction?

[CharlesBronson]

That design was dropped in favor of the twin engine development, obviously the IA-58, a good desission given the qualities of the twin engined aircraft in the COIN and CAS role.

IA-58C and IA-58A.




Others countries have choosen the single engine alternative. The brazilian manufactures Embraer have in production a single turboprop COIN aircraft. The only advantages I guess must be is cheaper to mantain. Colombia purchased some. I hope that those guys could use the ALX better than the Pucaras than Argentine gave them in the early 90s.

[CharlesBronson]

And talking about the Emb-ALX check this video of an colombian ALX shooting down a drug aircraft. The action is filmed from a UH-60 I think.

LiveLeak.com - Airplane shot down in Colombia