Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein AG (FFA) was a Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 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...

 and railroad car

Railroad car

A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...

 manufacturing company based at Altenrhein. It was originally part of Dornier Flugzeugwerke

Dornier Flugzeugwerke

Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...

, but was split off in 1948

1948 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1948:- Events :* Publication of Nevil Shute's novel No Highway set in the world of research into air safety.-January:...

. Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke means "aircraft and vehicle works" in German.

In the years following World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, FFA manufactured fighter aircraft for the Swiss Air Force

Swiss Air Force

The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...

, based on Morane-Saulnier

Morane-Saulnier

Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...

 designs as the D-3803. These were eventually replaced in service by surplus P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

s.

In the 1950s, FFA developed two jet fighters, the N-20 "Aiguillon"

FFA N-20

-References:NotesBibliography* Haller, Ullrich. "The Swiss N-20 Jet Fighter-Bomber". Air Pictorial,July 1964. pp. 203–204.* Munziger, Ernst. Düsentriebwerke. Luzern:Baden Verlag, 1991. ISBN 3-85545-056-0....

 and the P-16

FFA P-16

|-References:NotesBibliography* Green, William and Gerald Pollinger.Die Flugzeuge der Welt . Zürich, Switzerland: Werner Classen Verlag, 1960....

. The N-20 was cancelled after its first flight in 1951. The P-16 project, while promising, was cancelled after two crashes, and Hawker Hunter

Hawker Hunter

The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...

s were bought instead. In the 1960s the company built the Diamant

FFA Diamant

|-See also:-External links:*...

 series of sailplanes.

The firm licence-built many aircraft for Swiss use, including the de Havilland Vampire

De Havilland Vampire

The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...

, de Havilland Venom

De Havilland Venom

The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....

, Pilatus P-3

Pilatus P-3

-References:*Jane's All the world's aircraft 1956-7 p. 223: London, Jane's All The World's Aircraft Publishing Co, Ltd*-External links:*...

, Dassault Mirage III

Dassault Mirage III

The Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...

, and F-5 Tiger.

In 1987

1987 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1987:-January:* January 1 – United States Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphins and US Navy H-3 Sea Kings help rescue people trapped inside the Dupont Plaza hotel in Puerto Rico after a fire breaks out there late on December 31, 1986.* January 3 –...

, the company was bought back by Dornier.