FMA IA 63 Pampa

IA-63 Pampa
IA-63 in Mendoza, Argentina
Role	Trainer aircraft
National origin	Argentina
Manufacturer	FAdeA
First flight	6 October 1984
Introduction	April 1988
Status	In service
Primary user	Argentine Air Force
Produced	1984-present
Number built	27

The IA-63 Pampa is an advanced trainer aircraft with combat capability, produced in Argentina by Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) with assistance from Dornier of Germany.

Preliminary design studies for a replacement for the Morane-Saulnier MS-760 of the Argentine Air Force started at the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) in 1978, with these studies resulting in selection of a proposal powered by a single Garrett TFE731 turbofan with high, unswept wings. At the same time the FMA signed a partnership agreement with Dornier to develop the new aircraft.

Although influenced by the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet design, the Pampa differs in being a smaller aircraft, it is also single-engined and has straight supercritical wings rather than the swept ones of the Alpha Jet. It is constructed mainly of aluminium alloy, with carbon-fibre used for components such as the air intakes. The crew of two sit in tandem under a single-piece clamshell canopy. The avionics systems are also simpler than the Franco-German aircraft, which has an important secondary combat role. The Pampa prototype first flew on 6 October 1984.

Production of the initial series has been delayed and hampered by the state of the Argentinian economy, and as a result only 18 production aircraft have been built in the first batch (1988–90) and six in the second batch (2006–07) for the Argentine Air Force. First deliveries occurred in April 1988. The 18 aircraft are in service, all modernized, with the IV Brigada Aérea (English: IV Air Brigade) at Mendoza for the advanced training role of Argentine pilots.

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