I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I

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IAe 27 Pulqui I

The I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I prototype in 1951
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA)
Designed by	Émile Dewoitine
Maiden flight	9 August 1947
Retired	1951
Status	Cancelled
Primary user	Fuerza Aérea Argentina
Number built	1 prototype

The I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I was an Argentine jet fighter designed at the "Instituto Aerotecnico" (AeroTechnical Institute) in 1946 by a team lead by the French engineer Émile Dewoitine and which included the engineers Juan Ignacio San Martín (mil.), Enrique Cardeilhac and Norberto L. Morchio. The prototype flew the 9 August 1947 commanded by the test pilot 1st. Ltnt. Osvaldo Weiss.

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.

The history of this aircraft was short, 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 Moron, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1 Specifications
2 References
3 External links
4 Related content

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

Wingspan 11,25 m (initial version, rounded wingtips) or 10,50 m (final version, squared wingtips); length 9,69 m; height ?3,39 m; wing surface 19,70 m2 (initial version); empty weight 2.358 kg; maximum take-off weight 3.600 kg; wing load ? kg/m2. Powerplant: Rolls/Royce Derwent 5 turbojet engine, 1.633 kg thrust.

Performance

maximum speed 720 km/h; cruise speed 600 km/h; landing speed 150 km/h; service ceiling 14 000 mts; range 900 km / 1 hr 30 min.

Armament

(projected, never fitted to prototype) 4 x 20 mm fixed nose guns + underwing bombs or rockets.

[edit] References

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)