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Within the framework of the MRO Conference in Latin America held in Buenos Aires, Vice President of the Argentine Aircraft Factory (Fadia), Franco Giuggioloni, noted the growth of his activities outside the country.
In this sense, he told Telam that the main goal of the state company is to diversify its business proposals to attract more income, for which they are waiting for permission from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FFA, for its English abbreviation ).
“Today, Fadi has entered into an agreement with Etihad Engineering, through which we carry out some maintenance work for Latam on its Airbus 320 aircraft. We also carry out Flybondi and paint work for Aerolíneas Argentinas,” Giugoloni explained.
85% of the company’s sales come from the Argentine Air Force, which is its main customer in terms of maintenance, aircraft conversion and the manufacture of new aircraft.
He noted, “We must strengthen our core business, but today, diversification with overseas customers is the foundation of our growth.”
With regard to the work for the Air Force, he highlighted those carried out on the “recovery of the C-130 Hercules, the IA 63 Pampa advanced guidance aircraft, the IA 100B primary/primary instruction aircraft prototype, modernization of the avionics and assembly of centuries Radar(s) and camera units IA 58 Pucará Ov Fénix, Orion recovery aircraft and Beechcraft TC Huron aircraft”, among others.
new plane
“Historically, it was Fadi who solved the need for trainer aircraft for the Federal Air Force,” Giuggioloni said, and along those lines, he noted, “The construction of the IA-100, as an entry-level military trainer, complements the star of the existing product of the legendary Cordoba plant, the IA-63 Pampa.” III.”
The training aircraft segment is a niche among aircraft manufacturers. In the initial stages of training pilots, both civilian and military, the design of the aircraft is strictly defined for reasons of safety and training of new pilots.
In this sense, he said, there are no trainers in Latin America that started from a military requirement, rather they are aircraft adapted from civil aircraft.
This new aircraft, according to Guiggioloni, will represent the main trainer for the initial training and the first hours of flight of the military pilot.
The IA-100 is designed as a three-seater, with a 260 HP piston engine, made of composite materials and has FAR 23 certification in the aerobatics class.
“The IA-100 structure will be built with the latest technology in aeronautical engineering, which simplifies the manufacturing processes of complex structures and leads to lower costs,” he explained.
