• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Pampa III

IA-63 is designed and manufactured by Argentina-based Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) (for a time known as Lockheed Martin Argentina). On 14 April 2008 the National Executive issued a reserved decree ("S" 628) authorizing the corresponding funds for the purchase of the shares to LMAASA for a value of 67 million dollars. The project turned to the Congress where it is approved quickly and thus towards the end of 2009 the Argentine state took control of the now called Argentina Aircraft Factory (FAdeA).

The Pampa III is designed to avoid the use of any British-built components and this has included replacing the type's Martin-Baker Mk10 ejection seat with the Russian Zvezda K-36 model. While UK companies were excluded because of the dispute over the ownership of the Falkland Islands, foreign companies such as Israel Aerospace Industries, Elta Systems, Rockwell Collins, Liebherr and Sagem are supplying components for the Pampa III.

The GT derives almost directly from the concept of the AT-63 New Generation Phase III announced by LMAASA in 2001 and that was presented as a model in 2005. Phase III of LMAASA provided for the incorporation of a structural reinforcement in the wings for to support higher loads and accelerations, the addition of two extra sub-supports for the launching of air-to-air missiles, a drift-mounted radar warning system, two decoy dispersers located on the sides of the ventral barrel, a bow redesigned with a laser rangefinder, in addition to increasing the operating weights, reinforcing the landing gear precisely to adapt to the new weights and the incorporation of the more powerful TFE731-40 engine.

It also offered an advanced avionics and the possibility of incorporating a fixed refueling probe in flight.

The Ministry of Defense reported 03 July 2019 that the Argentine Aircraft Factory Brig. San Martín (FAdeA) will export for the first time in its history two Pampa III aircraft to the Republic of Guatemala. Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his Guatemalan counterpart, Jimmy Morales, formalized in Buenos Aires the purchase by the Central American country of two Pampa III fighter planes for 28 million dollars, an exchange without precedents between the two nations.

It is "the first export [to Guatemala] of such reconnaissance aircraft," the government said in a statement. On an official visit to the South American country, Morales participated in an act together with the Argentine president at the airport of El Palomar, province of Buenos Aires, where they announced the acquisition by Guatemala of the two military planes.

The purchase agreement was signed by the Argentine Minister of Defense, Oscar Aguad, and his Guatemalan counterpart, Luis Ralda Moreno. Guatemala will also receive pilot training and maintenance services for the purchase of Pampa III, which will be used to control the borders of the Central American country. The hunting aircraft, manufactured by the state-owned Argentine Aircraft Factory and used by the Argentine Air Force cadets to learn how to fly, will be delivered to Guatemala in the coming months.

The first international sale of these domestically manufactured aircraft will be for a total of 28 million dollars and will include training and maintenance services. The operation is part of an agreement signed in Olivos, with the presence of the presidents of Argentina and Guatemala and senior officials of both countries. The aircraft, which will be used in pilot training and border control of that Central American country, are identical to those currently used by the Argentine Air Force (FAA) and will be delivered before the end of this year.

After the sale of the Pampa III, Aguad said that "the expectations of this stage were overcome" and said it is "proud to have been able to meet one of the objectives set by the national government, which was to start optimizing resources of the State so that the national companies begin to be efficient and self-sustaining. "

"The effort, the work, the training and the optimization of the resources that we have allowed us to begin to travel this path that today makes us all proud," said the minister. For his part, the president of FAdeA, Antonio Beltramone, said: "This sale is a historic milestone for our country. FAdeA returns to be an exporter of technology of very high complexity, demonstrating the great capacity that we Argentines possess ". In addition, he said that the reactivation of FAdeA and the management of new businesses "was a very complex process that demanded a great effort".

"This is just the beginning. We continue working to generate more sales, "added Beltramone, who recalled that it was Defense Minister Aguad who entrusted them to recover the factory. "It seemed like a dream to achieve it in a short time, but thanks to those who day by day are responsibly committed to this company, we are able to return their future," he concluded.

In recent years, FAdeA carried out one of the most ambitious restructurings of the group of state-owned companies, which allowed it to reverse the adverse situation it was experiencing in 2015 and which managed to work on three strategic pillars: sanitation, productive reactivation and generation of new clients.

After a deep process that involved all areas, the company managed to balance its endowment, increasing its efficiency and productivity indexes. At the same time, through control and supplier management systems, operating costs were reduced and the accumulated historical debt was considerably reduced, while all the commitments assumed with customers were fulfilled. Within this framework, the certification and provision to the Argentine Air Force of three Pampa III aircraft after ten years without delivering new aircraft stand out, with a growth of 10% in the use of national components in production.

Regarding the generation of clients, FAdeA achieved an historic record in the volume of new businesses outside the Argentine State: in 2018, 14% of its revenues were from external customers, an unprecedented figure for the company, which in 2015 had only obtained 2% of income outside the State. For 2019, a new record is expected, with a 25% turnover to third parties, thanks to the certification of new capacities and the closing of contracts linked to the maintenance of commercial aviation, the production of wind turbines and the sale abroad. del Pampa III, unpublished businesses for the company, with a high growth potential.

On July 17, 2018, FAdeA received the approval document for the new version of the Pampa III aircraft, granted by the General Directorate of Joint Military Airworthiness (DIGAMC), thereby certifying the completion of the aircraft certification process.