FMA IA 58 Pucará
Encyclopedia
The FMA IA 58 Pucará is an Argentine
ground-attack and counter-insurgency (COIN)
aircraft
. It is a low-wing two-turboprop
-engined all-metal monoplane
with retractable landing gear
, manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones.
Mk 6AP6A zero/zero ejection seats. Dual controls are provided for the crew. In the following prototypes, and the production models that followed, the engines were switched to Turbomeca Astazou
XVIG turboprops. The first production model first flew on 8 November 1974, and deliveries began in early 1976.
, 3rd Air Brigade in northern Reconquista
, Santa Fe province.
By the time of the Falklands War
, almost 100 airframes had been delivered and the unit was deployed south to perform coastal surveillance from airfields in Patagonia
. It was the only aircraft available in substantial numbers for deployment on the islands as the runway
at Port Stanley Airport
was not long enough for FAA Skyhawks
and Mirages to be deployed.
Most aircraft used in combat were armed with unguided bombs, 2.75 inch rocket
pods, or 7.62 mm machine gun pods. Pucarás operated from Port Stanley airport and two small grass improvised airfields at Goose Green
and Pebble Island
. They were used in the reconnaissance and light-attack role.
Three Pucarás were destroyed and one of their pilots killed at Goose Green
by cluster bomb
s dropped by 800 NAS Sea Harriers on 1 May 1982. Six more were destroyed in the SAS
Raid on Pebble Island
on 15 May 1982.
On 21 May a Pucará was lost to a Stinger SAM
fired by D Squadron SAS (the first Stinger launched in combat) and another to 30 mm cannon rounds from Cmdr Nigel "Sharkey" Ward
's RN Sea Harrier, the latter after leading a successful two-aircraft raid on a shed allegedly used as an observation post
by British forces. The other Pucará, piloted by Lt. Micheloud, made good its escape after being chased by Lt. Cmdr. Alan Craig's Sea Harrier. Major Tomba, the pilot of the aircraft shotdown by Cmdr Ward, survived the ejection and was recovered by friendly forces.
Two Pucarás shot down a Royal Marines Scout
helicopter with 7.62 mm machine gun fire on 28 May, while it was on a casualty evacuation mission during the battle of Goose Green
. This was the only confirmed Argentine air-to-air victory of the war. One of these Pucarás crashed into Blue Mountain on the return flight to Port Stanley and was destroyed—the body of the pilot (Lt. Gimenez) was not found until 1986, and was buried with military honours at Port Darwin
by his family, the first Argentine relatives to visit the Falklands since the end of the war.
Also on the 28 May 2 Para shot down a Pucará with small arms fire after it launched rockets on British troops (without causing any casualties), during the Battle of Goose Green
. Lt Cruzado ejected and became a POW.
counter-insurgency
operations from 1993 to 1999; three were destroyed during combat sorties.
es. The aim was its possible production as torpedo-carrying aircraft to enhance the anti-ship capabilities of the Argentine air forces. Several trials were performed off Puerto Madryn
, over Golfo Nuevo
, but the war was over before the technicians could evaluate the feasibility of the project.
In the 1990s the FAA Pucarás received several minor upgrades, known as IA-58D. As of 2010 they remain in service with the 3rd Air Brigade, and with the Uruguayan Air Force
.
In 2007 an IA-58 of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina was converted to carry a modified engine operating on soy-derived bio-jet fuel
. The project, financed and directed by the Argentine Government (Secretaría de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación Productiva de la Nación), made Argentina the second nation in the world to propel an aircraft with biojet fuel. The project intends to make the FAA less reliant on fossil fuels.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
ground-attack and counter-insurgency (COIN)
Counter-insurgency aircraft
Counter-insurgency aircraft are a specialised variety of military light attack aircraft, designed for ground support against small, usually irregular groups of insurgents...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. It is a low-wing two-turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
-engined all-metal monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
with retractable landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
, manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones.
Development
Development began in August 1966, with the construction of an unpowered test vehicle. The first prototype, called AX-2 Delfin, first flew on 20 August 1969, powered by 674-kW (904-shp) Garrett TPE331I/U-303 turboprops. The IA-58 was designed to be able to operate from small front-line airfields. It has a tandem cockpit arrangement; the crew of two is seated under the upward opening clamshell canopy on Martin-BakerMartin-Baker
Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. is a manufacturer of ejection seats and safety related equipment for aviation. The company origins were as an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats...
Mk 6AP6A zero/zero ejection seats. Dual controls are provided for the crew. In the following prototypes, and the production models that followed, the engines were switched to Turbomeca Astazou
Turbomeca Astazou
|-References:...
XVIG turboprops. The first production model first flew on 8 November 1974, and deliveries began in early 1976.
Operational history
The first units were delivered in 1975 to the Argentine Air ForceArgentine Air Force
The Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. , it had 14,606 military and 6,854 civilian staff.-History:...
, 3rd Air Brigade in northern Reconquista
Reconquista, Santa Fe
Reconquista is a city in the north of the , from the provincial capital. It is the head town of the General Obligado Department, and it has 66,187 inhabitants according to the ....
, Santa Fe province.
1982 Falklands war
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, almost 100 airframes had been delivered and the unit was deployed south to perform coastal surveillance from airfields in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. It was the only aircraft available in substantial numbers for deployment on the islands as the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
at Port Stanley Airport
Port Stanley Airport
Port Stanley Airport is a STOLport in the Falkland Islands, two miles outside the capital, Stanley. The airport is the only civilian airport in the islands with a paved runway...
was not long enough for FAA Skyhawks
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
and Mirages to be deployed.
Most aircraft used in combat were armed with unguided bombs, 2.75 inch rocket
Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket
The Mk 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket , sometimes called the Mighty Mouse, was a 2.75 in diameter unguided rocket weapon commonly used by U.S. military aircraft. It was intended as an air-to-air weapon to allow interceptor aircraft to shoot down enemy bombers with greater range and effectiveness than...
pods, or 7.62 mm machine gun pods. Pucarás operated from Port Stanley airport and two small grass improvised airfields at Goose Green
Goose Green
Goose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 70, it is the second largest settlement of the Falkland Islands.Goose Green has a shop...
and Pebble Island
Pebble Island
Pebble Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of West Falkland.The island stretches about 19 miles from east to west and is about 4.3 miles at its widest point, with a total area of square miles .It has three high points: First Mountain , Middle Mountain and...
. They were used in the reconnaissance and light-attack role.
Three Pucarás were destroyed and one of their pilots killed at Goose Green
Goose Green
Goose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 70, it is the second largest settlement of the Falkland Islands.Goose Green has a shop...
by cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
s dropped by 800 NAS Sea Harriers on 1 May 1982. Six more were destroyed in the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
Raid on Pebble Island
Raid on Pebble Island
The Raid on Pebble Island took place on 14-15 May 1982 during the Falklands War. Pebble Island is part of the Falkland Islands.-Background:Immediately after the Argentines had seized the Falkland Islands they established a small airbase on Pebble Island using the local airstrip on which were based...
on 15 May 1982.
On 21 May a Pucará was lost to a Stinger SAM
FIM-92 Stinger
The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile , which can be adapted to fire from ground vehicles and helicopters , developed in the United States and entered into service in 1981. Used by the militaries of the U.S...
fired by D Squadron SAS (the first Stinger launched in combat) and another to 30 mm cannon rounds from Cmdr Nigel "Sharkey" Ward
Nigel Ward
Commander Nigel "Sharkey" Ward DSC, AFC, RN commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Invincible during the Falklands War, of April to June 1982, and was the senior Sea Harrier adviser to the Command on the tactics, direction and progress of the air war....
's RN Sea Harrier, the latter after leading a successful two-aircraft raid on a shed allegedly used as an observation post
Observation post
An observation post, temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers , or to direct artillery fire...
by British forces. The other Pucará, piloted by Lt. Micheloud, made good its escape after being chased by Lt. Cmdr. Alan Craig's Sea Harrier. Major Tomba, the pilot of the aircraft shotdown by Cmdr Ward, survived the ejection and was recovered by friendly forces.
Two Pucarás shot down a Royal Marines Scout
Westland Scout
The Westland Scout was a general purpose military light helicopter developed by Westland Helicopters. It was closely related to the Westland Wasp naval helicopter.-Design and development:...
helicopter with 7.62 mm machine gun fire on 28 May, while it was on a casualty evacuation mission during the battle of Goose Green
Battle of Goose Green
The Battle of Goose Green was an engagement of the Falklands War between British and Argentine forces. Goose Green and its neighbour Darwin are settlements on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. They lie on Choiseul Sound on the east side of the island's central isthmus...
. This was the only confirmed Argentine air-to-air victory of the war. One of these Pucarás crashed into Blue Mountain on the return flight to Port Stanley and was destroyed—the body of the pilot (Lt. Gimenez) was not found until 1986, and was buried with military honours at Port Darwin
Argentine Military Cemetery
The Argentine Military Cemetery, , is a military cemetery on East Falkland that holds the remains of 237 Argentine combatants killed during the 1982 Falklands War...
by his family, the first Argentine relatives to visit the Falklands since the end of the war.
Also on the 28 May 2 Para shot down a Pucará with small arms fire after it launched rockets on British troops (without causing any casualties), during the Battle of Goose Green
Battle of Goose Green
The Battle of Goose Green was an engagement of the Falklands War between British and Argentine forces. Goose Green and its neighbour Darwin are settlements on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. They lie on Choiseul Sound on the east side of the island's central isthmus...
. Lt Cruzado ejected and became a POW.
Captured aircraft
After the Argentine surrender eleven Pucarás (four of them in flying condition) were captured by British forces. Six were taken back to the United Kingdom, as follows:- A-515 (ZD485) – Royal Air Force Museum CosfordRoyal Air Force Museum CosfordThe Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation, and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and a registered charity...
. - A-517 – Privately owned. Possibly shipped to the Channel IslandsChannel IslandsThe Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. - A-522 (8768M) – North East Aircraft MuseumNorth East Aircraft MuseumThe North East Aircraft Museum is a volunteer-run aviation museum situated on the site of the former RAF Usworth/Sunderland Airport, between Washington and Sunderland, England. The museum has the largest aviation collection between Yorkshire and Scotland and houses over 30 aircraft and a wide...
(on loan from the Fleet Air Arm MuseumFleet Air Arm MuseumThe Fleet Air Arm Museum is located north of Yeovil, and south of Bristol. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, as well as models of Royal Navy ships, especially aircraft carriers. Some of the museum has interactive displays...
, Yeovilton). - A-528 (8769M) – Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation MuseumNorfolk and Suffolk Aviation MuseumThe Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is a museum collection of aircraft and aviation-related artefacts, located near the former RAF Bungay airfield on the outskirts of Flixton, in the United Kingdom....
(on loan from Museum of Army FlyingMuseum of Army FlyingThe Museum of Army Flying is an award-winning British military aviation museum about the history of flying in the British Army. It is located beside the Army Air Corps Centre in Middle Wallop, close to Andover in Hampshire, England....
, Middle Wallop). - A-533 (ZD486) – Boscombe Down Aviation Collection (Cockpit Section only).
- A-549 (ZD487) – Imperial War Museum DuxfordImperial War Museum DuxfordImperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near the village of Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven...
.
Sri Lankan Civil War
Some Pucarás were used in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency aircraft
Counter-insurgency aircraft are a specialised variety of military light attack aircraft, designed for ground support against small, usually irregular groups of insurgents...
operations from 1993 to 1999; three were destroyed during combat sorties.
Upgrades
On May 1982, at the peak of the Falklands War, the Argentine Air Force, in collaboration with the Navy, outfitted a prototype, AX-04, with pylons to mount Mark 13 torpedoMark 13 torpedo
The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 13 torpedo was the U.S. Navy's most common aerial torpedo of World War II. It was designed with unusually squat dimensions for its type: diameter was and length . In the water, the Mark 13 could reach a speed of for up to . The Mark 13 ran slower than the Mark 14 torpedo...
es. The aim was its possible production as torpedo-carrying aircraft to enhance the anti-ship capabilities of the Argentine air forces. Several trials were performed off Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001....
, over Golfo Nuevo
Golfo Nuevo
Golfo Nuevo is a body of water formed by the Península Valdés and Punta Ninfas in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is located 650 miles southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Puerto Madryn is its major seaport. From May to December, the Southern right whales migrate to Golfo...
, but the war was over before the technicians could evaluate the feasibility of the project.
In the 1990s the FAA Pucarás received several minor upgrades, known as IA-58D. As of 2010 they remain in service with the 3rd Air Brigade, and with the Uruguayan Air Force
Uruguayan Air Force
The Uruguayan Air Force is one of the three main branches of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the Uruguayan Ministry of Defense. The current head of the force is General of the Air Enrique A...
.
In 2007 an IA-58 of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina was converted to carry a modified engine operating on soy-derived bio-jet fuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
. The project, financed and directed by the Argentine Government (Secretaría de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación Productiva de la Nación), made Argentina the second nation in the world to propel an aircraft with biojet fuel. The project intends to make the FAA less reliant on fossil fuels.
Variants
- AX-02 Delfin: Prototype.
- AX-04: A torpedo-carrying prototype.
- IA-58A Pucará: Two-seat counter-insurgencyCounter-insurgency aircraftCounter-insurgency aircraft are a specialised variety of military light attack aircraft, designed for ground support against small, usually irregular groups of insurgents...
, close air supportClose air supportIn military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
, attack aircraft. Main production version. - IA-58B Pucará Bravo: One prototype aircraft, with advanced avionics and armed with two 30 mm DEFA cannonDEFA cannonThe DEFA cannon is a family of widely used French-made aircraft revolver cannons firing the standard 30 mm caliber NATO rounds.-Design history:...
s. - IA-58C Pucará Charlie: One single-seat prototype aircraft.
- IA-58D Pucará Delta: Upgraded IA-58A with minor revisions
- IA-66: One prototype aircraft, powered by two 1,000-ehp (746-kW) Garrett TPE331-11-601W turboprop engines.
Former operators
- Colombian Air ForceColombian Air ForceThe Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of the Republic of Colombia.The Colombian Air Force is one of the three institutions of the Armed Forces of Colombia, charge according to the 1991 Constitution of the work to exercise and maintain control of Colombia's airspace to defend the...
- Sri Lanka Air Force (1993–1999, 2 shot down, 1 crashed, 1 retired)