KEA (aircraft)

KEA is the most historic Greek aerospace company. The initials stand for "Kratiko Ergostasio Aeroplanon",i.e., "Greek National Aircraft Factory", a name formalized a few years after its creation (initially it used the name "Ergostasio Aeroplanon Falirou" (EAF) and it was reported in English simply as "Greek Naval Aircraft Factory"). Its creation was decided in 1917, but the wars that followed delayed its foundation until 1925. It was based in Phaleron near Piraeus (the same area where AEKKEA-RAAB aircraft maker was later headquartered) and technology and initial management were provided by British Blackburn Aircraft Limited, the first type produced by the factory being the "T3 Velos", designed by the British company. In 1927 an all-Greek KEA development was introduced (although according to other sources, a British engineer was a part of the design team), the "Chelidon" (Swallow) multi-purpose military aircraft. It used a Salmson 120hp engine and had a maximum speed of 150 km/h. Only one was built for the Greek Navy, as it was considered inferior to alternative types. Later, the factory produced a series of aircraft types under licence, including numbers of "Avro 504-O" and "504-N", "Atlas" (featuring several modifications from the original "Armstrong-Whitworth" model), and "621 Tutor" ("Avro") types. At least 60 units of the latter were produced, with a rate of 7 per month in early 1940. Preparations for the production of the "PZL P.24", the main fighter used by the Greek Air Force at the time, as well as the "Henschel Hs 126K-6" light bomber (for which an order of 90 units had been made to KEA) were never completed due to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October, 1940. Thus, the only KEA-produced type that saw action in World War II was the "621 Tutor". Production also covered other areas, including bombs, and specialized parts and tools. During Greece's occupation by the Axis powers the KEA facilities were used by the German Luftwaffe for technical support, while airport infrastructure where some of its facilities were located, became targets of Allied bombing. After the war KEA divisions produced a number of gliders but it eventually focused on maintenance work for the Greek Air Force with only limited construction activity - which want to the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) when the latter was founded. Nonetheless, KEA has produced since the 1990s a number of "Pegasus" remotely piloted unmanned aircraft essentially developed by HAI and a Greek State Research Institute. The historic company survives to date, incorporated into the Greek military command.

References

* Jane's "All the World's Aircraft" (1928 edition)
* [http://www.haf.gr/el/structure/units/day/units/kea.asp Official Hellenic Air Force site (info about KEA)]