Embraer/FMA CBA-123

[hesham]

From Air International 2/1988,


here is the original drawings and Models to Embraer/FMA CBA-123 regional transport aircraft,which known
essentially as Embraer EMB-123.

 

[Triton]

Brochure for Embraer-FAMA CBA-123

 

[trexslee]

Brochure for Embraer-FAMA CBA-123

These are very good concept art pictures of the Embraer-FAMA CBA-123.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

was that a real early concept to this aircraft ?;

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWings/comments/csy9ex

 

[hesham]

Also,was there an early concept for engines was mounted in wing ?.

CBA-123 VECTOR

Agora o tema é o CBA-123... Seguem alguns catálogos, de diversos anos diferentes (pela ilustração da capa vcs podem notar a evolução). No final o conteúdo interno do Último deles. e o Thiagão ficou na saudade!!! Sds, Vector

forum.contatoradar.com.br

 

[Apophenia]

Also,was there an early concept for engines was mounted in wing ?...

No. The advert is simply emphasizing the 'family' relationship btween the EMB-120 and EMB-123 (the latter using a shortened version of the Brasilia fuselage).

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Apophenia,

but what about the concept in reply # 4 ?.

 

[Apophenia]

but what about the concept in reply # 4 ?.

My guess would be an outside artist's impression of what the then-future EMB-123 might look like. The wings look vaguely '123 but the fuselage (especially cockpit glazing) looks more early-model Cessna Citation than anything else. Not at all Embraer-like. Unsure what the V-tail suggests ... overactive imagination, perhaps?

 

[Erdosain]

Early configuration of CBA-123 wich was tested in FMA's wind tunnel....or maybe an early configuration of Embraer 145?

I understand that in its early days, the FMA was invited to join the EMBRAER 145 project

 

[Erdosain]

Introducing the IA-70

Aerospace Magazine No. 543, September - October 1986

 

[Erdosain]

Some CBA-123 exploded views and tooling

 

[Erdosain]

Reseña del CBA-123/IA-70

Por Gabriel Miranda Naon/Hernan Longoni (para Hangar Digital 2001) CBA-123 Vector La industria aeronáutica arg...

historiasdeaviones.blogspot.com

El ATL y el CBA-123.-

Por Hernan Longoni La Fabrica Militar de Aviones (nombre generico que daremos al complejo fabril cordobes, pese a sus varias reestructu...

historiasdeaviones.blogspot.com

 

[Erdosain]

VECTOR A South American Hope

Aeroespacio Magazine Nro 478, November - December 1990

 

[Erdosain]

Myasischev M-102 Duet / NAL Saras and Myasischev M-202

It looks very similar to the CBA-123

https://twitter.com/x/status/1531341528341307392

View: https://twitter.com/RengelGonzalo/status/1531341528341307392

https://twitter.com/x/status/1531343296647372801

View: https://twitter.com/RengelGonzalo/status/1531343296647372801

 

[Erdosain]

Model of the CBA-123 being tested in FMA's wind tunnel

 

[Erdosain]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1456966651749048334

View: https://twitter.com/RengelGonzalo/status/1456966651749048334?t=fZMK0hMbdx1f6qu41SkT0A&s=19

 

[Erdosain]

One of the first configurations of the Embraer/FMA CBA-123, with foreward canards and the powerplant nacelles in two different configurations. Source Archive of the FMA via Jose "Pepe" Martinez















https://twitter.com/RengelGonzalo/status/1543954749942386688/photo/2

 

[Erdosain]

Tail section of the CBA-123 being tested in the FMA wind tunnel, Credits: FMA Archives via José Martínez

 

[Erdosain]

Tupolev Tu-20 (Tu-2000) Regional Airliner / Business Aircraft

del CBA-123 al Hindustan NAL SARAS PT1

Claro , pero no tenes que olvidarte que es un avion hecho en 1962, seguro que los aviones mas modernos tienen mas confort. En cuanto a lo de agrandarlo tiene 12-14 plazas y deberias llevarlo a 18-20, pero no hay comparacion posible en lo que decis del Pampa, en un avion de pasajeros es bastante...

www.zona-militar.com

 

[hesham]

From Flight 1986.

 

[Alexandre Julião]

The CBA-123 never took off (bad joke intended), basically because the then Brazilian president Sarney, for some reason never fully explained, forced Embraer, which was then a state-owned company, to collaborate with FMA on this project. The problem was that at the time, FMA was in a chaotic state, not at all resembling the company it once was, and Embraer was certain that this would seriously harm the project.

Embraer tried its best to minimize FMA's participation in the project as much as possible, giving them only one part to manufacture, which was the tail of the aircraft. Even so, FMA took ages to produce that part, and when the prototype was finally made its initial flight, the market had changed, and there were no more customers willing to operate this type of aircraft. Or at least, one that was brand new. So the project was canceled.

There are those who say here in Brazil, that FMA dragged its feet for so long, to deliberately sabotage the project. This is because, Brazil and Argentina have never been countries that... let's say... liked each other very much. Is that really, what happened? No one knows. Maybe it was a factor, but the truth is that at the time, the Argentine government was incompetently managing the FMA, making the company barely capable of building a model airplane, much less a real aircraft.

Fortunately, the CBA-123 was not a total loss, as the aircraft's nose was reused in the EMB-145 prototype, which ended up being a great success for Embraer.

 

[Apophenia]

... because the then Brazilian president Sarney, for some reason never fully explained, forced Embraer, which was then a state-owned company, to collaborate with FMA on this project...

Probably because Presidents Sarney and Alfonsín were working towards what became the Mercosul/Mercosur common market.
At the time, combining the assumed capabilities of Embraer and FMA probably seemed sensible.

Perhaps, as you said, the market had changed by the time the CBA-123 appeared. Or maybe such a market never really existed?

 

[fortrena]

One has to wonder if the liberal reforms initiated by the Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello, elected in late 1989, liberal reforms which included the potential privatisation of government-run companies like Embraer, played a (minor?) role in the decision to drop the CBA-123. The economy of Brazil was indeed in dire straits at the time and the hyperinflation which hit in early 1990 dit not help.

Embraer itself was in deep financial trouble. As the government refused to allow that firm to raise money through debt for equity swaps, its president, an engineer, Ozilio Carlos da Silva, resigned, in December 1990. His successor, Joao Rodrigues da Cunha, an economist, resigned in July 1991, possibly because the government did not deliver on the expected date a promised and sizeable rescue package. By then, the government may well have decided that Embraer would have to be privatised.

In order to make the firm attractive, its core would have to be preserved, which meant that unpromising projects would face the ax.

In that regard, one has to wonder if the change in leadership personnel which took place in July 1991 also played a (minor?) role in the decision to drop the CBA-123. Incidentally, that change in leadership included
- the return at the helm of Ozires Silva, an engineer and the founder of Embraer, who had not been involved in the development of the CBA-123, and
- the arrival as commercial director of the Frenchman Michel Cury, who was seemingly the director general of the French subsidiary of Embraer, Embraer Aviation International, until July 1991.

Incidentally, Cury was the flight engineer present during the first flight, in October 1968, of the aircraft which would become known as the EMB-110 Bandeirante, an aircraft whose design team was headed by Silva.

 

[Erdosain]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1875235411309817951

View: https://x.com/TucsonFulcrum/status/1875235411309817951