I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I

infobox Aircraft
name = IAe 27 Pulqui I
type = Fighter
manufacturer = Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA)

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caption = The I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I prototype in 1951
designer = Émile Dewoitine
first flight = 9 August 1947
introduced =
retired = 1951
produced =
number built = 1 prototype
status = Cancelled
unit cost =
primary user = Fuerza Aérea Argentina
more users =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I was an Argentine jet fighter designed at the "Instituto Aerotecnico" (AeroTechnical Institute) in 1946.

Design and development

The design was created by a team led by the French engineer Émile Dewoitine which included engineers Juan Ignacio San Martín (mil.), Enrique Cardeilhac and Norberto L. Morchio.

The fuselage was semi-monocoque with elliptical cross-section, air intake was in the nose and surrounded the cockpit. The reduced internal fuselage volume forced the fuel tanks to be installed exclusively in the wings, which resulted in a significant reduction of its range.

Testing and evaluation

The prototype flew on 9 August, 1947 wth test pilot 1st. Lt. Osvaldo Weiss at the controls. The history of this aircraft was brief, as its performance was considered unsatisfactory and in the meantime the studies for the more evolved FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II were quite advanced. Nevertheless, its role in the history of aviation is quite significant as it was the first jet combat aircraft developed and built in Argentina and Latin America. This made Argentina the 5th nation in the world being able to accomplish this task by itself.

The restored prototype is currently at the National Aeronautics Museum ("Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica") of the Argentine Air Force ("Fuerza Aérea Argentina"), at Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

pecifications

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet
ref=
crew=One
span main=11.25 m (initial version, rounded wingtips) or 10.50 m (final version, squared wingtips)
span alt=
length main=9.69 m
length alt=
height main=3.39 m
height alt=
area main=19,70 m² (initial version)
area alt= ft²
empty weight main=2,358 kg
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=3,600 kg
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (jet)=Rolls-Royce Derwent 5
type of jet=turbojet
number of jets=1
thrust main= 1,633 kg
thrust alt= lbf
thrust original=
max speed main=720 km/h
max speed alt=
max speed more=
ceiling main= 14,000 m
ceiling alt=
climb rate main= m/s
climb rate alt= ft/min
range main= 900 km

range alt= mi
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
armament=
*(projected, never fitted to prototype) 4 x 20 mm fixed nose guns + underwing bombs or rockets.

References

* [http://www.aeroespacio.com.ar/site/anteriores/538-550/549/SITE/sumario549.htm Article on the 50th anniversary of the "Fabrica Militar de Aviones"] - listing all the aircraft developed and manufactured there since 1927, "Aerospacio", Buenos Aires, 1977. (in Spanish)
* "Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1951". London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1951.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/bacosistemas01/IA27.html Development and Specifications (in Spanish)]

Related content

Comparable aircraft

MiG-9 'Fargo', USSR 1947
Yakovlev Yak-19 , USSR 1947
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star , USA 1945