Aermacchi S-211
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| S-211 / M-311 | |
|---|---|
 The M-311 at the Paris Air Show in 2007 |
|
| Type | Light attack aircraft and advanced trainer |
| Manufacturer | SIAI Marchetti (1981 - 1997) Alenia Aermacchi (1997 - present) |
| Designed by | SIAI Marchetti, 1976 |
| Maiden flight | 10 April 1981 (S.211) |
| Introduced | 1984 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary users | Republic of Singapore Air Force Philippine Air Force |
| Number built | ~60 |
The Aermacchi S-211 is a jet-powered military trainer aircraft designed and originally marketed by SIAI Marchetti as the S.211. Some 60 aircraft have been sold to air forces around the world. Aermacchi bought the production rights in 1997. The redesigned M-311 is currently underdevelopment by Alenia Aermacchi.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
SIAI Marchetti began work on the aircraft in 1976, hoping to offer it to the company's existing customer base of small air forces operating their piston-engined SF.260. Formally announced in Paris the following year, interest was strong enough to justify the construction of two prototypes, the first of which flew on 10 April 1981.
S-211A - a slightly modified and updated variant of the S-211, was a losing contender in the USA's Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPTATS) aircraft selection. Among the seven to enter, the Raytheon/Pilatus entry won, which became the T-6 Texan II. The S-211 team was partnered with Grumman, and then Northrop Grumman after 1994.
Like many military trainers, the S-211 can be armed for weapons training or light ground attack duties.
[edit] Variants
- S-211
- Original production version with total of approximately sixty built and were operated by the Air Forces of Haiti, Philippines and Singapore.[1]
- S-211A
- Proposed version developed with input from Grumman for the JPATS (two prototypes, converted from 2 ex-HAF S-211 airframes, S/no: 1284 & 1286).[1]
- M-311
- Modernized and uprated version announced by Aermacchi in 2004 (two protoypes built).[1]
[edit] Operators
- Philippine Air Force (PAF) - 25 aircraft, including one partially completed airframe as spare parts and 15 assembled locally by Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation.[1] Due to accidents, 8 airframes had been written off with 17 remaining in service but only 5 are airworthy.[2] On 21 September 1992 , one aircraft (S/no:07018) crashed into the sea after taking off from Antonio Bautista Air Base, Palawan, the fate of both the crews and airframe is still listed as missing by the PAF to this day.[2]
- 105 Training Squadron
- 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron
- Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) - total of 32 aircraft including 24 assembled locally by Singapore Aircraft Industries and 2 ex-HAF airframes (S/no: 1285 and 1287, they were given RSAF S/no: 338 & 339, respectively) acquired as attrition replacements.[1]
- 130 Sqn - 27 airframes in operational use (5 airframes were write offs due to accidents)[1]. Since April 2008, 130 Squadron has been gradually replacing their fleet with the newly-acquired Pilatus PC-21.[3]
- 131 Sqn - disbanded in 1996, following the move of RSAF Flight Training School to Pearce Airbase (Australia), all remaining aircraft transferred to the former.[4]
[edit] Former operator
- Haitian Air Force (HAF) - 4 aircrafts delivered in June 1985 (serial no. 1284 through 1287), retired and put up for sale on 23 April 1990.[5]
[edit] Others
United States - Developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and the United States Navy (USN) as the failed S-211A variant in participation of the JPATS selection program (read variants above).[1]
[edit] Civilian
- Oracle Corporation CEO Larry Ellison purchased one of these machines, the ex-HAF airframe S/no. 1286, which was assigned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) civil registration N852TC. The airframe has since been sold to G K Aviation Consulting Inc of Wilmington, United States.[1][6]
[edit] Specifications (S-211)
_S.211.png/250px-Profil_Aermacchi_(SIAI-Marchetti)_S.211.png)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: Two (student and instructor)
- Length: 9.31 m (30 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 8.43 m (27 ft 8 in)
- Height: 3.8 m (12 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 12.6 m² (135.63 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,850 kg (4,070 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,750 kg (6,050 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4C turbofan engine, 11.12 kN (2,500 lbf)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 665 km/h (359 knots, 415 mph)
- Range: 2,848 km (1,538 nm, 1,780 miles)
- Service ceiling 12,190 m (40,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 1,555 m/min (5,100 ft/min)
- Thrust/weight: 0.413:1
- Acceleration limits: +7.33g (+71.9 m/s²)/−3.5g (−34 m/s²)
Armament
- Up to 600 kg (1,455 lb) of weapons on four hardpoints, including gunpods, bombs, and rockets.
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h SIAI-MARCHETTI S.211 production list. www.siai-marchetti.nl.
- ^ a b Philippines Air Force - Siai-Marchetti S.211 - Write-offs. www.hueybravo.net.
- ^ RSAF Pilatus PC-21 Makes its Maiden Flight. MINDEF.
- ^ Australia - Singapore Defence Relationship. MINDEF.
- ^ World Air Forces - Haitian Air Force - SIAI-Machetti S-211 status. www.aeroflight.co.uk.
- ^ Aircraft N852TC Profile. www.airport-data.com.
[edit] External links
- Unofficial S-211 site
- Republic of Singapore Air Force Trainer Factsheet
- History of SIAI-Marchetti S.211
- SIAI-Marchetti S.211 Factsheet
- S211A Jet Trainer, Italy
- Official M-311 site
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
