Zenair CH 2000

AMD Alarus
Role	Personal use & Trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	Aircraft Manufacturing and Development
Designer	Chris Heintz, Zenair, Ltd.
Introduction	1995
Status	Production completed
Primary user	Iraqi Air Force
Produced	Eastman, Georgia
Unit cost	$139,000
Variants	Zenair CH 640

The AMD Alarus CH2000 is a two-seat, fixed tricycle gear general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training. It is manufactured by Aircraft Manufacturing and Design Co. in Eastman, Georgia. It is a low-wing aircraft, with one door located above each wing, respectively. It can be considered a competitor to similar aircraft used for flight training, such as the Diamond DA20.

The Alarus features Garmin avionics and a 46-inch-wide (1,200 mm) cabin.

As of 2011 the aircraft is no longer in production by AMD, although Zenair provides parts support.

The Alarus was offered in two variants: the AMD Alarus CH2000 general aviation aircraft and the SAMA CH2000 Military Tactical Surveillance Aircraft (MTSA).

The SAMA CH2000 is a military surveillance variant of the Alarus. It is equipped with forward looking infrared – a multi sensor imager offering high performance, precision and high level imaging.

The aircraft is also equipped with state-of-the-art communications systems for secure air-to-air and air-to-ground communications and is equipped for day and night missions. The aircraft is manufactured in Amman, Jordan and Baghdad, Iraq.

The first SAMA CH2000s were delivered to the Iraqi Air Force 70th Squadron, based in Basrah on 29 October 2004. The Iraqi Air Force acquired between 8 and 16 aircraft at a cost of USD$5.8M with deliveries completed by the end of March 2005.

The four seat kit aircraft derivative of the Alarus is the Zenair CH 640.

The Alarus is used by some flight schools in the United States.

In February 2008 there were 113 CH2000 Alarus registered in the USA and four in Canada.

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Wikipedia