Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein AG (FFA) was a Swiss aircraft and railroad car manufacturing company based at Altenrhein. It was originally part of Dornier Flugzeugwerke, but was split off in 1948. Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke means "aircraft and vehicle works" in German.
In the years following World War II, FFA manufactured fighter aircraft for the Swiss Air Force, based on Morane-Saulnier designs as the D-3803. These were eventually replaced in service by surplus P-51 Mustangs.
In the 1950s, FFA developed two jet fighters, the N-20 "Aiguillon" and the P-16. The N-20 was cancelled after its first flight in 1951. The P-16 project, while promising, was cancelled after two crashes, and Hawker Hunters were bought instead.
The firm licence-built many aircraft for Swiss use, including the de Havilland Vampire, de Havilland Venom, Pilatus P-3, Dassault Mirage III, and F-5 Tiger.
In 1987, the company was bought back by Dornier.
[edit] References
- Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 115.
|
||||||||||||||
