AMX International AMX
| AMX Ghibli | |
|---|---|
 Italian AMX in Nellis, Nevada |
|
| Type: | |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
May 15, 1984 |
| Commissioning: |
1989 |
| Production time: |
1986 to 1999 |
| Number of pieces: |
approx. 200 |
The AMX Ghibli is a jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed as part of a joint venture between the Italian companies Alenia and Aermacchi and the Brazilian company Embraer .
This machine is mainly used as a ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft.
The two-seat trainer version is called AMX-T.
development
In 1977, the Italian Air Force officially announced the need for a new light fighter aircraft that would replace the Fiat G.91 and, to a certain extent, the Lockheed F-104 in the role of close air support , reconnaissance and advanced pilot training . This new fighter jet should also complement the tornado , especially in areas where the use of expensive and complex fighter jets is not strictly necessary. The Italian Air Force initially demanded a total of 238 aircraft, including 187 single-seaters and 51 two-seat trainers. Aeritalia (now Alenia ) and Aermacchi began development work together in April 1978, which incorporated not inconsiderable parts of the previous experience with the tornado. Aermacchi's very good design, the twin-engine MB-340, had previously not been used for purely political reasons.
In March 1981 the governments of Italy and Brazil agreed to cooperate on the construction of the AMX. Aeritalia (46.5%), Aermacchi (23.8%) and the Brazilian Embraer (29.7%) formed the “AMX International” consortium . With this commitment, Brazil wanted to free itself from American and French dependency. In response to Brazilian pressure, Rolls-Royce engines were also planned for the aircraft.
The first flight of the prototype A-01 MMX594 took place on May 15, 1984 near Turin . During the fifth test flight, test pilot Manlio Quarantelli crashed because of an engine problem and was killed in the process. However, further testing turned out to be quite successful and brought to light the excellent low-flying characteristics of the machine. Series production began in 1986, three years later the first Italian and Brazilian squadrons converted to the AMX.
Due to the fundamental changes in the global political situation, the Italian air force limited itself to 110 single-seaters and 26 two-seaters in the early 1990s. As a result, the machines from the first batch were taken out of service due to technical problems; the remaining aircraft received a mid-life update, which also enables them to use laser-guided bombs (GBU). In 2005 a further modernization program ( ACOL - Adeguamento Capacità Operative e Logistiche ) began, in which the aircraft were given the option of using GPS-controlled precision weapons in addition to various modifications to the avionics (e.g. multifunctional color screens). In this ACOL version, 43 single-seat and 12 double-seat aircraft remained in service with a squadron in Istrana and at a test site in Pratica di Mare . At the end of 2016, two of the three AMX squadrons remaining in Istrana were disbanded.
The Italian AMX flew a total of 252 combat missions during the Kosovo war . No machine was lost in the process.
In Italy there were always polemical discussions about the AMX. In view of the development costs, the relatively small number of units and industrial policy compromises, the entire program was not particularly inexpensive. The country's trade press has repeatedly suggested that the money would have been better invested in purchasing additional tornadoes.
The Italian Air Force wants to replace the AMX aircraft with the F-35 Lightning II .
In the Brazilian Air Force, three squadrons are equipped with the AMX, which is called A-1 there. Brazil put a total of 53 of the 79 aircraft originally planned into service, which were modernized from 2007 onwards. Venezuela ordered 8 AMX-ATAs in 1999 as an advanced trainer and light fighter aircraft, but the US Congress vetoed it because the machines also contained US technology.
Users
Technical specifications
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| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 13.23 m |
| span | 8.87 m |
| Wing | approx. 21 m² |
| Wing extension | 3.75 |
| Wing loading |
|
| height | 4.55 m |
| Empty mass | 6,730 kg |
| normal takeoff mass | 10,750 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | approx. 13,000 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 3,440 l |
| Top speed | 1,165 km / h |
| Marching speed | approx. 950 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 13,500 m |
| Max. Rate of climb | 52 m / s |
| Use radius | 900 km |
| Transfer range | 3,335 km |
| Engine | a Rolls-Royce Spey Mk. 807 with approx. 49 kN thrust |
Armament
Fixed armament in the nose
Italian AMX
- 1 × 20 mm Gatling automatic cannon M61A1 Vulcan with 350 rounds of ammunition
Brazilian AMX
- 2 × 30 mm revolver automatic cannon DEFA 554 with 125 rounds of ammunition each
External loads
Armament up to 3,800 kg at five external suspension stations at five suspension points and the wing tips
Air-to-air guided missiles
- 2 × thermal imaging self-seeking short-range air-to-air guided missile Raytheon AIM-9L "Sidewinder"
- 2 × heat-image-controlled self-searching short-range air-to-air guided missile Mectron MAA-1 "Piranha" / MAA-1B "Piranha II"
guided bombs
- 2 × GBU-16 "Paveway II" (laser-guided 454 kg glide bomb)
Free fall bombs
- 5 × Mk.82 (241 kg free-fall bomb)
- 5 × Mk.83 (454 kg free-fall bomb)
- 5 × SEI BA-102 (227 kg free fall bomb)
- 5 × SEI BA-103 (454 kg free fall bomb)
External container
- 2 × disposable additional fuel tanks with 1000 liters of kerosene
- 2 × disposable additional fuel tanks with 2000 liters of kerosene
See also
Web links
- http://www.embraer.com/
- AMX at Aermacchi ( Memento from March 10, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- http://www1.embraer.com.br/timeline/english/
Individual evidence
- ↑ embraer.com: Modernization of AMW jets of the brazilian air force. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 6, 2011 ; accessed on December 12, 2018 (English, Macromedia Flash Player 7 required).