FMA I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I

IAe 27 Pulqui I
The I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I prototype in 1951
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA)
Designed by	Émile Dewoitine
First flight	9 August 1947
Retired	1951
Status	Cancelled
Primary user	Fuerza Aérea Argentina
Number built	1 prototype
Variants	FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II

The I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I was an Argentine jet fighter designed at the "Instituto Aerotecnico" (AeroTechnical Institute) in 1946. Only one prototype was completed; unsatisfactory performance led to the aircraft being superseded by a later design.

Contents 1 Design and development 2 Testing and evaluation 3 Specifications

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 housing a single Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 engine with the air intake in the nose and the ducting surrounding the cockpit. The reduced internal fuselage volume forced the fuel tanks to be installed in the wings, which resulted in a significant reduction of its range.

Testing and evaluation

The prototype flew on 9 August 1947 with 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 to accomplish this task by itself.
The restored prototype is currently at the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina of the Argentine Air Force ("Fuerza Aérea Argentina"), at Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 9.69 m (31ft 9.5in)
• Wingspan: 11.25 m (initial version, rounded wingtips) or 10.50 m (final version, squared wingtips) (36ft 11in)
• Height: 3.39 m (11ft 1.5in)
• Wing area: 19,70 m² (initial version) (212.06 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,358 kg (5,198 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 3,600 kg (7,937 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 turbojet, 1,633 kg (3,600 lbf)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 720 km/h (447 mph)
• Range: 900 km (559 mi)
• Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,855 ft)
• Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)

Armament

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

Posted in: