FMA IA-58 Pucara (Fortress)

History

The impressive two IA-58 Pucara (meaning "fortress") were built by Fabrica Militar de Aviones in Argentina. The aircraft is classified as a counterinsurgency ground attack system suitable for use in rugged areas and comes with a variety of ammunition options to suit the role.

The Pucara was built with speed, maneuverability, lethality and crew survivability in mind. In many respects, the Argentine Pucara shares many similarities with the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco - both in combat roles and in exterior design.

In total, as many as 160 pucaras are believed to have been produced.

Development

Pucara is designed to meet Argentina's normative requirements for counterinsurgency platforms. Development of the aircraft began with the first prototype in 1966, which made its maiden flight as the AX-2 "Delfin" on August 20, 1969. The first Dolphin prototype was powered by two 904-horsepower Garrett AiResearch TPE331I/U-303 turboprop engines, while the second prototype was equipped with a production Turbomeca Astazous series turboprop.

The second prototype flew in September 1970. On November 8, 1974, the first production of Pucara began airing, followed by quantitative production by the state-run Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA).

Deliveries to the 3rd Aviation Brigade of the Argentine Air Force began in 1975 and continued until 1976.

Tour

Pucara's design is relatively traditional. The two-seat tandem cockpit is located at the very front of the fuselage and houses the pilot and co-pilot seats.

This area is covered by a lightweight frame clamshell canopy that is divided into two main sections, including the front windshield section and the main canopy body that covers the two pilot positions. Visibility from both cockpits is excellent thanks to the slightly elevated position and clear field of view.

Both positions are also equipped with Martin-Baker Mk 6AP6A "Zero Zero" ejection seats and dual pilot controls. The AP-6A series seat allows ejection at zero velocity and height (hence the name) and can be activated by pulling the mask over the operator's head.

Wings are low-mounted monoplanes with integral engine nacelles and V-shaped outboards unique to each engine assembly. The engines were placed close to the fuselage and wing roots and were equipped with three-bladed French Ratier Forest propellers of solid duralumin construction.

A keen observer will quickly notice that the propeller is placed forward of the front cowl - this is necessary for the length of the gearbox (the gearbox matches the engine speed to the propeller speed). The engine air intake is electrically heated.

The engine nacelles also housed the two-wheeled main landing gear, with the nose gear positioned forward and below the forwardmost cockpit location. The chassis is in a traditional tricycle arrangement and is fully retractable, with the main legs retracted forward and covered by double doors.

Likewise, the fully steerable single-wheel front legs are stowed forward and hidden by the double doors. At rest, the plane provides a lot of ground clearance, making work under the plane more "ground crew friendly". The fuselage has a streamlined design, ending in a raised fin, adorned with a vertical fin with a large area rudder. Horizontal stabilizers are located high on the fins in a "T-shaped" arrangement.

The entire structure of the aircraft is all metal.

Armed

As a close support/counterinsurgency aircraft, the system is inevitably defined by its weapon selection. This includes standard weapons such as the 2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-804 series automatic cannons mounted on the lower part of the forward fuselage, supplemented by 4 x 7 batteries.

62mm Browning FM M2-20 machine guns were mounted in pairs on either side of the forward fuselage. In addition, the Pucara's strength lies in the rich selection of air-to-surface munitions that the system offers.

These include a variety of 7.62mm and 12.7mm gun pods, conventional bomb-dropping (triple), 2.75-inch rocket pods, mine distributors, and anti-ship torpedoes on two underwing pylons and a centerline fuselage pylon.

Performance

The Pucara is powered by 2 Turbomeca Astazou XVIG turboprop engines, each producing up to 978 hp. Top speed is around 310 mph and cruising speed is 267 mph. A service ceiling of up to 31,800 feet complements the 2,305-mile range.

Variations

There are only a few variants of the limited edition Pucara. These included the AX-2 "Delfin" prototype, followed by the base (and final) production two-seat model IA-58A. The IA-58B "Pucara Bravo" is a single-seat prototype with improved avionics and a "top-load" armament consisting of 2 x 30mm DEFA cannons. The first flight took place in May 1979. The IA-58C is another proposed single-seat prototype, but this model features a streamlined forward cockpit, similar 30mm artillery armament, improved avionics, additional armour for a second enlarged cockpit, Matra Magic Air Air-to-air missiles and Martin Pescador anti-ship missiles.

This different prototype first flew in December 1985, although Argentina's financial situation killed the project in the late 1980s. The IA-66 became another "one-off" prototype with two 1,000 hp Garrett TPE331-11-601W turboprops in place of the Turbomeca, but again there was no production order.

Additionally, the Pucara never outgrew its original two-seat riot-proof form.

In War

The Argentine government used Pucara to fight insurgents in the northwest of the country in its first year of operation. The aircraft also played an important role in the operations of the Argentine Air Force during the upcoming 1982 Falklands War with the United Kingdom.

This conflict is a serious demonstration of the limitations of Pucara (and its war planners). Of the 24 aircraft in use by the government at the time, all were killed as a result of ground sabotage, sabotage courtesy of members of the British special forces SAS, or courtesy of the British Army. One of the captured Pucaras is on display at the RAF Cosford Museum after an RAF assessment. Another found a home that resembled British loot at the Imperial War Museum.

On May 28, 1982, a Pucara shot down a Royal Marines Westland Scout helicopter in what is believed to be the only airstrike of the war by the Argentine Air Force.

Pukara Future

Pucara's defeat in the Falklands War didn't endear the type to Argentina's future military efforts, so the system was usually phased out in 1986 as many were not fighting on the front lines. At the time of writing, current Pucara military operators still include the Argentine Air Force (still operating with the 3rd Air Brigade) and the Uruguayan Air Force, although the latter are very limited.

Former operators of this type include the Colombian Air Force and the Sri Lankan Air Force. Sri Lanka used this type in counter-insurgency raids carried out between 1993 and 1999, in which it is understood three people were killed.

Despite its mediocre performance in the Falklands War, the Pucara was awarded some potential production contracts during his tenure, as it was, at its core, an excellent low-altitude close support aircraft. However, production contracts with Egypt (50 units), Central African Republic (12 units) and Iraq (20 units) were either cancelled by the buyer or rejected by the Argentine government.

The Argentine Air Force is modernizing at least 20 Pucaras, and there is growing talk of restarting production lines to meet demand for traditional counterinsurgency platforms throughout South America.

FMA is now known under the Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) brand.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes