SAIA 90
| FMA SAIA 90 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Air superiority fighter |
| Manufacturer | FMA |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Primary user | Argentine Air Force |
| Number built | 0 |
The FMA SAIA 90 was a cancelled air superiority fighter aircraft project, designed by the FMA (Fabrica Militar de Aviones) with the collaboration of Dornier in the mid-1980s. The SAIA 90 was the last stage of the ACA (Avión Caza Argentino) project, which was started by the National Reorganization Process to develop an Argentine fighter aircraft.
The three stages of the project were:
By 1980 the Fabrica Militar de Aviones and Dornier had an ongoing relationship as a result of the combined development of the IA 63, and both were considered a cooperative agreement for the production of future airplanes. This agreement called to both parties to establish a common office in the city of Córdoba, Argentina within the year for the production, marketing and associated support services of their products.
The development of a trainer was the first of three steps in Fábrica Argentina de Aviones' strategy, elaborated after the development of the IA 58 Pucará by the mid-1960s. The steps of this strategy included the Pampa, a light transport and a combat aircraft.
The German maker produced a series of preliminary designs, which contemplated various aspects for a combat aircraft, which the air force could then adopt to its own requirements.
The Dornier studies included analyses of the basic requirements, including air combat under anticipated operative conditions, and taking into account the characteristics of likely weapons.
According to the analysis the aircraft should be capable of a sustained maneuvering speed of Mach 0.9 at an altitude of 6000 m; quick acceleration from Mach 0.9 to 1.5 at 9000 m, high deceleration, independent of the relative speed; reasonable combat autonomy with integral fuel tanks; and minimal radar and infrared signatures (Stealth).
Possible armament included:
The air-to-air radar was to be able to detect a 5 m2 target at a distance of 90 km without being detected by enemy ECM, and track 6 targets that could be identified with IFF. For air-to-ground attacks, the radar was to be able to map the terrain.
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