FMA I.Ae. 33

FMA I.Ae. 33 Pulqui II
Type:	Fighter plane
Design country:	Argentina
Manufacturer:	Instituto Aerotécnico de Córdoba
First flight:	1950
Commissioning:	only prototype
Number of pieces:	5

The I.Ae. 33 Pulqui II was an Argentine fighter aircraft designed and built by the Instituto Aerotécnico de Córdoba (today: Fábrica Militar de Aviones ). The well-known German aerospace engineer Kurt Tank and a number of other German engineers were instrumental in the project. Five prototypes were produced between 1950 and 1959.

history

Due to the disappointing results of the I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I , the Aviation Institute decided to start a new experiment with a jet aircraft . By the end of 1947, the creation of a preliminary project called IA-33 began, the features of which were a stronger engine than the Pulqui I and low-lying, swept-back wings.

After the end of the Second World War, the Argentine government recruited the German engineer Kurt Tank, who had previously designed a number of other high-performance aircraft types at Focke-Wulf in addition to the Fw 190 . Tank gathered a group of former Focke-Wulf employees and went to Cordoba to join the future Pulqui II project.

In the last months of the war, Tank and his working group were still working on the draft of the Ta 183 "Huckebein" , a second-generation jet fighter for the German Air Force . However, the progressive design of a fighter plane with swept wings was never realized due to the capitulation of the German Reich .

Shortly after his arrival in Argentina, Tank presented the plans for the Ta 183 to the institute's authorities - at the same time as the Argentinian team presented its preliminary project. As a result of this meeting, it was decided to have the two groups work in parallel, one German led by Kurt Tank and one Argentinian led by the engineer Morchio.

After completing the designs, which appeared very similar, the differences were analyzed and optimized in order to minimize difficulties when building the aircraft. The resulting aircraft is not a modified Ta 183, but a product of cooperation with the Argentine engineers, which is based on the fundamental concept of Kurt Tanks.

The concepts of Ta 183 were not used in the Pulqui II alone. At the same time in the Soviet Union - without Kurt Tank's knowledge - the MiG-15 was developed thanks to plans obtained by the Red Army .

After the completion of the draft, construction of the prototypes began. The first was a version without an engine that was used to study the flight stability of the design. This was followed by the production of a complete aircraft, which completed its maiden flight on June 16, 1950, flown by Capitán Edmundo Osvaldo Weiss. On February 8, 1951, the aircraft was presented to the public at the Jorge Newbery Airfield in Buenos Aires.

The economic crisis of 1953 led to the downgrading of military projects, which also affected the funds for the deployment of the Pulqui II. After the fall of Pérons in 1955, the project was no longer of great importance to the new government, which resulted in the majority of German technicians leaving the country. Kurt Tank went to India to work in the aviation industry there.

Even so, the project continued and by 1959 five aircraft had been built. A short time later, the project was discontinued due to limited funding and a lack of government support.

The only remaining example is the prototype N ° 5, which is in the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica in Morón (Province of Buenos Aires).

Prototypes

The prototype N ° 1 received no engine and was used to test the aerodynamics. It was flown by Kurt Tank himself on his first flight. Since there were no construction errors, this prototype was used for static tests until it was scrapped.

Prototype N ° 2 had its maiden flight on June 16, 1950, flown by Captain Edmundo Osvaldo Weiss. The aircraft exhibited problems in flight at high speeds that were difficult to resolve. In 1951, many fighter pilots in the Argentine Air Force were invited to test the aircraft. During one of these tests, a crash occurred when one of the wing securing bolts came loose, which resulted in the complete destruction of the aircraft. Pilot Captain Vedania Manuwal lost his life in the accident.

Prototype N ° 3, completed in 1952, received aerodynamic improvements that should make it more stable. The aircraft was shown to the public in October of the same year. It was flown by Otto Behrens, who had already made significant contributions to the practical testing of the Fw 190. On October 9, 1952, he had a fatal accident with this machine after he got into a deep stall during a low-altitude flight maneuver while preparing for a flight demonstration planned two days later for Argentina's President Perón .

In the following period the prototype N ° 4 was produced, which was fully equipped and equipped with on-board cannons. In 1956, the Argentine technicians demonstrated the aircraft to a delegation from the new government. On the way back from the demonstration, a defect in the oxygen supply led to hypoxia in Lieutenant Balado. As a result of the accident, the aircraft could not take off.

The prototype N ° 5 was a modified version that received fuel tanks on the wings to increase the range. This prototype was named Pulqui IIe. It was finally completed in 1959 and its first flight took place on September 18 of the same year, flown by Lieutenant Robert Starck. There is no information about further flights. This aircraft can now be found in the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica .

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	1 pilot
length	11.60 m
span	10.60 m
height	3.35 m
Wing area	25.10 m²
Empty mass	3554 kg
Flight mass	5988 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	5550 kg
Engine	a Rolls Royce Nene II
power	22.71 kN
Top speed	Mach 1.1
Marching speed	approx. 960 km / h
Climb performance	1225 m / min
Range	2030 km
Service ceiling	15,000 m
Armament	4 × Hispano-Suiza MK5, caliber 20 mm

Web links

Commons : FMA I.Ae. 33 Pulqui II  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

• Official website of the "Fuerza Aerea"
• History and technical data