I had to separate the book into two parts because the original file was so large.
But it can be rejoined with any pdf editing program.
To separate them I use iLovePDF
Proceso de diseño del Pulqui I by Norberto L. Morchio and Humberto Ricciardi
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Much has been said, written and speculated about the IA 33 Pulqui II - It is time to dispel the legends that revisionist's have spread calamo currente through the years that have elapsed since the aircraft was presented amidst great fanfare.
Kurt Tank's assignment was to design a far better airplane than the Pulqui I. It had been decided from the beginning that the new fighter would be named the Pulqui II. For that Tank was very well prepared for the job. From the late 1944, his team had been working on a 2nd generation jet fighter for the Luftwaffe under the designation Ta 183 Huckebein. It was an advanced jet, extraordinarily compact in size and aerodynamically clean, sporting a 32º swept wing, and accomodating a Heinkel He S011A jet engine which would bring it to calculated maximum speed of 967 km/h at an altitude of 7000 meters.
The chosen powerplant for the Pulqui II was Rolls Royce Nene II. The Nene was more powerful than the He S011A but required a redesigned new fuselage with a larger cross-section due to it having a centrifugal rather than axial compressor. The resulting product was the IAe.33 Pulqui II. The high-mounted negative-incidence wings were swept back 40º, even more than the Ta 183. The long fuselage was perfectly circular in section with the engine buried inside right at the center of gravity. The airframe was finished off with a graceful swept-back T-shaped tail. The pilot sat in a pressurized cockpit under a teardrop canopy. Armament would include four fuselage-mounted 20mm cannon. Contrary to the previous Dewoitine design, many elements incorporated into the Pulqui II were totally new in the fields of aeronautical construction, placing the Argentinean aero industry amongst the most advanced during those years.
.
IAe.33 Pulqui II
The first prototype - was used in static tests till its destruction, thus the 2nd prototype was the first to fly. Piiorly, a an engineless glider, with the purpose of studying the aerodynamic behaviour of the airframe. Like all of his previous designs, it was Kurt Tank himself who test-flew the glider. After a series of tests, Tank arrived to the conclusion that the airframe showed no design flaws, and the construction of the powered prototype was ordered.
The first flight of the IAe.33 Pulqui II nº 2 took place on 16 June, 1950 with Osvaldo Weiss at the controls. The second flight which took place three days later was entrusted to ex-Focke Wulf test pilot Behrens. Kurt Tank also completed a good number of the test flights undertaken during the following weeks. The new aircraft proved successful in most respects, but like its "cousin" the MiG-15 it displayed some handling difficulties at the extremes of the flight envelope. Lack of operational range was another problem which wasn't solved until the fifth prototype.
The last prototype, nº 5, was a modified version to increase the operational range and wore a designation Pulqui IIe. It featured a reinforced "wet" wing containing two integral fuel tanks.
The IAe 33 Pulqui II project was inexorably linked to the machinations and fortunes of the Peronist regime.[34] Although the Fábrica Militar de Aviones was charged with bringing aviation projects to completion, constant political interference contributed to delays and disarray in aviation programs.[34] Severe economic problems led in 1951 to the Perón government using the Fábrica Militar de Aviones to build cars, trucks, and motorcycles,[35] including the IAME Rastrojero. Moreover, Tank's team was not primarily focused on the IAe 33, completing the design of the FMA IA 35 Huanquero multi-purpose aircraft (transport, trainer and reconnaissance roles), that eventually entered production at the Dirección Nacional de Fabricación e Investigación Aeronáutica (DINFIA) (Spanish: "National Directorate of Aeronautical Manufacturing and Research"). The most devastating political decision was to divert the entire manufacturing program "seemingly overnight" to automotive products and agricultural equipment, essentially closing the aviation divisions.[34] The competing DINFIA projects such as automotive manufacture served to further drain resources in time, money and personnel from the Pulqui II project.[22]
Pulqui II (No. 04), c. 1955
While Argentina's finances were extremely strained at this juncture following the economic crisis in 1953, the most serious setback to the project came in January 1955 when Tank's contract expired. He reputedly requested almost twice as much money to continue but President Perón instead canceled his contract outright.[30] Despite four years of development and trials, the IAe 33 project was still encountering teething problems and its status remained unclear although no final decision had been made to abandon a project that had reached iconic stature in the Perónist era.[3]
Operational history
In September 1955, the sole remaining Pulqui II prototype was pressed into action in the Revolución Libertadora, a coup d'état led by General Eduardo Lonardi against Perón.[36] The exact details of its participation are unknown, but when rebel forces commanded by Lonardi captured Córdoba as their first conquest, together with the Meteor F 4s fighter-bombers stationed at the Córdoba Escuela De Aviación - SACE (Military Aviation School), the IAe 33 was enlisted in the struggle.[37] After flying combat missions against Peronist stalwarts, it later appeared in a flyover during the victory parade at Córdoba celebrating the triumph of the coup over loyalist forces.[37]
Pulqui II (No. 04) possibly in camouflage, c. 1955
When the military junta came to power, the IAe 33 project was thrown into disarray. The new government released many of the leading air force staff; similarly, most of Tank's team was forced to leave Argentina with Tank himself going to India, where he worked for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and later developed the HF-24 Marut supersonic fighter.[37]
In 1956, the air force, in an effort to gain political support, planned a record flight from Córdoba to Buenos Aires to demonstrate the combat potential of the IAe 33. The Pulqui II would fly 800 km, strafe an air force practice range in the Buenos Aires area, and then return to Córdoba using only internal fuel. The only oxygen equipment available for such a long flight was scrounged from a FMA Meteor under repairs. Lt. Balado successfully completed the flight (including the strafing demonstration) at an average cruise speed of around 900 km/h, but the oxygen system failed on the return leg.[22] The semi-conscious pilot managed to perform an emergency landing at high speed, but the heavy landing and resulting stress broke the landing gear, with the Pulqui II overrunning the end of the runway and being damaged beyond repair.[38]
Cancellation: A legend worthy of the 1.001 Nights:
"It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5
Shortly after Balado's record flight, the Argentine Air Force reviewed its decision to acquire 100 Pulqui IIs for its fighter force. Based on the spares and wing and fuselage components at hand, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones asserted that ten aircraft could be constructed relatively quickly, however, the remainder of the order would take five years to complete. Meanwhile, plans for an alternative replacement of the hundred aging Meteor F4s obtained in the late 1940s that constituted the backbone of the Air Force continued, initially centered on the acquisition of 36 Canadair CL-13B Mk 6 Sabres, an idea which was dropped in 1956 because the Central Bank was unable to provide the necessary foreign exchange.[39]
With the Canadair Sabre no longer a viable option, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones seriously considered having the Pulqui II enter series production.[39] A new prototype was ordered in 1957, despite the United States having offered 100 combat-proven F-86 Sabre fighters with Orenda engines that were available immediately. The fifth IAe 33 Pulqui II (No. 05) prototype, designated Pulqui IIe,[20] was constructed in 1959 (visually identical to the fourth prototype although retaining the original frameless, clear canopy) and entered flight testing after its first flight on 18 September of that year,[6] with Lt. Roberto Starc at the controls.[2] The continual evolution of the Pulqui II had resulted in the design team solving its inherent instability at high angles of attack,[40] as well as increasing fuel capacity through the use of a wet wing, to provide sufficient range.[20] However the fighter was now not only considered obsolete,[22] but also politically tainted due to its association with Perón.[41]
Consequently, the Argentine government decided to cancel the IAe 33 project at the zenith of its development, instead acquiring second-hand F-86F-40 Sabres from the United States at a "bargain-basement price" under the Mutual Defense Assistance Act. Finally, in September 1960, Argentina received only 28 aircraft, in poor condition and without the promised Orenda engine.[22]
The government-controlled press highlighted the new
The Sad Reality
Two Rolls Royce Nene II engines were acquired in 1948-9, followed by two additional in January 1951. Furthermore, the manufacturer further stated in a letter forwarded to me in 2007 that THE IAME never acquired acquired the rights to build that engine under license, and that the so-called Jet Engine factory merely assembled the Rolls Derwent 5s from imported components.
The North American F-86F Sabre
In 1957, the Argentine Air Force was offered the Republic F-84G as replacement of its Gloster Meteor aircraft, while the Argentines wanted Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, which at over US $ 300.000 a piece was a luxury the Argentine economy could not afford. The U.S./ then offered a small batch of North American F-86Es, and the Argentines eventually settled for the F-86F, 28 if which were eventually delivered., after these aircraft were reconditioned and Argentine pilots underwent training courses in the U.S. The assumption that they were promised "100 Sabres with Orenda engines" (sic) is merely a phantasy, since this was the power plant employed by the Canadair -built Sabres... As is the pretense that "they were received in poor condition". They arrived with enough spares for five years. In March 1962, in The Inter American Gunnery Contest held at Las Lajas.in the province of Neuquén, against F-86Fs of the U.S. National Air Guard and the Peruvian AF, the Argentines won by a wide margin (973,5 points, vs 852 for the U.S. team.
`Onne of the myths published by the government-controlled press (P.B.T Magazine, June 1954) was that:" A series of 10 Pulqui IIs would soon be distributed to units of the Air Force". In fact, as we have seen, only four Nene engines were available, and two of these powered the ill-fated 2nd and 3rd. prototypes. Furthermore``, Tank envisaged a more powerful Power plant for subsequent prototypes of the Pulqui II and in October 1950, the Argentine Embassy in Washington requested prices and details for two Alisson Tye 400, 400 M and 400R turbo engines, or two Pratt & Whitney J-48s. But Washington never replied. The election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency of the U.S. signaled an era of improved relations between Buenos Aires and Washington. On a meeting held with Alfred Nuffer, the U.S. Ambassador in Buenos Aires, Perón discussed the possibility of enlisting American aid for the development of ship-building plants and dry docks as well as assistance in building a plant to produce fighters in a large scale, which would be far beyond the range of Russian aircraft. The plant Perón visualized would be able to produce complete aircraft, including engines, adding that in the event of war, Argentina would place the production of such a plant at the disposal of the U.S. Nuffer referred the matter to Washington, but any hopes Perón may have entertained were dashed when Washington did not accede to his request.
Thank you for the good work. As usual - real facts are often less glamourous than fiction and myth - but also far more interesting. Also applies to the Avro Arrow a bit later in the 1950's...
Thank you as well. I was always puzzled by the Pulqui II fiasco. I encountered one of the German technicians employed by IAME in Princeton (NJ) some years ago, and he revealed something confirmed by my friend Franciso (Pancho) San Martín, son of the Director of the IAME) According to that Volksdeusche, the wings and fuselage for the Pulqui II were obtained by hammering sheets of dialuminium into shape over wooden molds, and though the prototypes evidenced a high level of workmanship, these were hardly hardly the proper procedure to manufacture high speed aircraft in series.(all subsequent FMA all-metal aircraft were hand-built, until in the early 1980s proper stamping presses were obtained for the IA 58 "Pucará"
The Perón regime was characterized by economic scandals of a great magnitude.,including one involving an aluminum rolling plant. IAPI (Instituto Argentino Para la Promoción del Intercambio), the state-owned trading agency which controlled all imports and exports began negotiations with Nino Grande, an Italian businessman who contracted to deliver such a plant. The first shipment of crates shipped from Italy contained only rocks. Perón ordered the Banco Industrial to cancel the letters of credit issued to the Italians rescinded, reportedly five million dollars had already been delivered. The affair would continue to haunt successive administrations, until a New York State Court ordered all charges against the Argentina government dismissed. But after all, Perón, in 1951 promised the masses " I'll give you fusion in a bottle."
for details: see
The Huemul Project
Valarie Allman
March 17, 2017
The Huemul Project began in 1948 when Argentinian president, Juan Perón, funded Austrian scientist Ronald Richter (Fig. 1). Under the new government regime, Argentina sought industrial growth and economic independence. Perón looked to the European nations to fund emerging scientists as he had alienated most of the scientific community in his home country since the start of his presidency in 1946. [1] Through this process he met Ritcher - a former lab researcher and Nazi aircraft designer who had ideas of using nuclear energy to fuel aircrafts. [2] Perón flew Richter to Argentina and learned of the scientists true scientific desires. He believed he found a way that could promise limitless nuclear energy by controlling the power of the sun.
By 1951, $300 million dollars had been spent on the project to build a fusion container on Isla Huemul, off the shore of the picturesque Patagonian town of San Carlos de Bariloche. With 400 men working on the project, the bunker was made of 20,000 bags of cement, loudspeakers, and a 50-tonne copper coil to create an 11 meters tall bunker for the project to run in secrecy. Just three years after the start of the project, Richter claimed to have performed his first successful experiment. A feat that would have been one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century.
While Perón boasted for the country's advancement in technology, Richter never published his experiments. For two years, he remained cryptic about his procedure and gave no insight into how he completed the desired temperature and pressure. In 1952, Perón assembled a team to investigate the experiments revealing that Richter was nowhere close to what he strived to achieve. The team discovered the highest temperature achieved in the project was 100,000 kelvins by feeding hydrogen into an electric arc where loudspeakers increased the temperature using acoustic waves. As media sources caught wind of the truth, headlines circulated describing the news as "Argentina's atomic energy project has exploded with the force of a bursting soap bubble...". The fate of the project resulted in embarrassment falling on the Argentinian science community and Richter being charged with contempt of Congress. Once released, he lived in obscurity until dying in 1991.
The Argentine entered the jet age on 9 August 1947, when the I.Aé 27 Pulqui I completed its maiden flight, thus becoming the 7in nation in the world that produced a jet-propelled aircraft. Although Emile Dewoitine is generally credited with the design, which French publications have described as a fighter, he was essentially an absentee designer, as a Argentine records published in the 1990s revealed that all Dewoitine did was present a very detailed drawing (on a piece of carboard, the aircraft was developed by two Argentine engineers, Enrique Cardeilhac, Cesare and Norberto L. Morchio.
By 1939 Emile Dewoitine had between his hands the best French fighter of the era. When France capitulated however he made some very bad choices and decisions that essentiallly ended his career.
A la fin des années 40, fuyant l'épuration, des centaines de Français débarquent à Buenos Aires. Dans cette ville qui leur rappelle Paris, on n'est pas trop regardant sur leur passé. Et ils ne risquent pas d'en être extradés. Certains s'y referont une vie de notable. D'autres végéteront...
On a book published by a friend (Jean Cuny) Les Avions Dewoitine .. Collection Docavia Vol. 17(1980) Dewoitine claims that" the lack pf experience (demonstrated by engineers Enrique Cardeilac and Norberto L. Morchio ,responsible for the construction of elementary parts and the final assembly of components forced him to function and project director and but also as director of the workshops."
This ia complete distortion of the facts. since Morchio was responsible for the design of the wing, fuselage and undercarriage and another Argentine engineer, Riccardi for the tail unit. Furthermore, since Dewoitine had no experience with, was forced to rely on the advice of Stanley Hooker, a British engineer who had designed the Rolls Derwent and Nene powerplants. Hooker was sent to the Argentine to sell surplus Merlin engines, but noted in his memoirs "The Argentines were fascinated on the Derwent, and lost interest in the Merlins"
Furthermore, Dewoitine, very obviously tongue in cheek tells us that since the prototype had me all specifications (including a speed of 528 mph (850 km/h) !!the Instituto Aerotécnico concluded a contract to build 100 aircraft of the type" sic)
Althugh the IAé 27 proved an extremely maneuverable aircrafit its limitations were apparent. Its straight-wing configuration limited maximum speeds to 700km/h This disappointing performance did not escape the attention of the U.S. air attach, who on a reprt dated 21 September 1947: New, somewhat shorter wings have been put on. One of the plane mechanics states that the velocity has considerably increased and stalling speed decreased. The Pulqui now seems to maneuver very well, easily executes smooth high turns and vertical climbs"
The report was only partially correct: no wings were added, but the wingspan was reduced from 11,25 to 10,50 meters by the simple expedient of detaching the outer wing panels.'
Maximum speed then rose to 750 km/h, but the straight-wing configuration limited speeds to 725 km/h,and any attempt to exceed that velocity would result in vibrations so severe that would peel the paint off the aircraft.
The report of the U.S. air attaché points out that the aircraft carried no armament. We know from the statements made years later by engineer Morchio that the aircraft was not designed to carry any armament. Due to its configuration, the IAé 27 could not carry nose-mounted armament, as Dewoitine and his apologists have suggested, nor could such weapons be installed in the wings, which housed the fuel tanks.
The Argentine experience with Monsieur Dewoitine was far from satisfactory. Once license to build the D.21 at Córdoba was obtained, the documentation sent to the FMA was deficient, many details were lacking, and FMA engineers had to provide the required blueprints...
Dépité, Emile Dewoitine écrit à son ami Charles Lindbergh pour proposer ses services aux Etats-Unis. Indésirable, il se voit refuser le visa d'entrée. Il vivote en mettant au point un avion de tourisme pour les aéro-clubs argentins (El Boyero), avant de partir, en 1951, offrir ses services en Uruguay.
Dépité, Emile Dewoitine écrit à son ami Charles Lindbergh pour proposer ses services aux Etats-Unis. Indésirable, il se voit refuser le visa d'entrée. Il vivote en mettant au point un avion de tourisme pour les aéro-clubs argentins (El Boyero), avant de partir, en 1951, offrir ses services en Uruguay.
Dépité, Emile Dewoitine écrit à son ami Charles Lindbergh pour proposer ses services aux Etats-Unis. Indésirable, il se voit refuser le visa d'entrée. Il vivote en mettant au point un avion de tourisme pour les aéro-clubs argentins (El Boyero), avant de partir, en 1951, offrir ses services en Uruguay.
Ah ! Quelle surprise! Monsieur Dewoitine ment encore !! The then FMA "El Boyero" first prototype was completed in 1939 and flight tested on November 2, 1940,.The aircraft was designed by an FMA engineer, Juan Peretti, obviously influenced by the Taylorcraft Cub, but material shortages during WW 2 prevented production of an initial series of 50 aircraft which were to have been built by Sfredo & Paolini, In the post-war years, an order for 160 of these aircraft, by then redesignated as the I.A.20, and Dewoitine was in charge of production. Stanley Hooker, who met with him in Córdoba, and assisted in the installation of the Derwent engine aboard the I.A.é 27 observes that Dewoitine was simply obsessed in making money. He just couldn' make it in the post-war world In June 1952 he moved to Spain, where he designed the AVD 12C, for the Spanish air force, but lost out against the Dornier 25, forunner of the Do.27-According to my friend Juan Arraez Cerda, doyen of Spanish aviation writters, the AVD-12C proved to be so dangerous in its test flight that only the ability of the pilot prevented a crash.. Undaunted, Dewoitine tried to sell this design to the FMA in 1956, but not surprisingly, his offer was rejected.In the words of Raymon Danel, Dewoitine found Portes fermées partout,...,Quelle surprise..A case of à tout seigneur tout honneur
Thanks! I should have added that a German technician, an Auslandsdeutsche, formerly with IAME that I met in Princeton some years ago. commented:" Perón was obsessed with Germany and Germans, hence he gave priority to Tank over Horten, and to Tank over Morchio and Ricardi to Otto Behrens over Edmundo Weiss, and also to Tank's I.Aé 33 over the IAé27A
We'll never know. The Sabre had an enormous advantage in its radar-controlled APG-30 gunsight that facilitated accurate fire at longer ranges(which certainly gave it superiority over the Mig 15,). Once thing is certain the IA 33 had more than its share of teething problems. The Peronist administration, which had acclaimed this aircraft as one of its major accomplishments changed its tune after two fatal crashes (the 2nd and third prototypes) In an interview with the U.S. ambassador in 1953, Perón pleaded with machinery to build the Pulqui II, complete with engines, adding that "in the event of war between the U.S. and Russia, he would cede half or its entire production of this plant to the U.S. (!!) Secondly, Tank's contract would not be renewed after the mishaps with "his" design, and Reinmar Horten given the greenlight to proceed with the IA 37, which was announced in the Argentine press as the "Pulqui IIII". Thirdly, even the regime did not believe in its own braggadocio, because in 1954 it held talks with Lockheed, and the State Department gave the green light for the IAME complex to "build" the F-94C and the T-33 under license.(read assemble with imported components) until in September 1954, in a conference between Perón, the secretary of Aeronautics,Brig. J.I. San Martín and representatives of the Lockheed firm, Perón admitted that there were no funds available to pursue such a plan..
A photo of the 3rd, IA 33 prototype after the short but bloody civil war which overthrew Perón in Sept. 1955. The Pulqui did not participate in the events, but merely flew on a parade celebrating he downfall of the regime.
Thanks! I should have added that a German technician, an Auslandsdeutsche, formerly with IAME that I met in Princeton some years ago. commented:" Perón was obsessed with Germany and Germans, hence he gave priority to Tank over Horten, and to Tank over Morchio and Ricardi to Otto Behrens over Edmundo Weiss, and also to Tank's I.Aé 33 over the IAé27A
There is also this topic where we are talking about Argentine aircrafts that never flew or did not go beyond prototypes, among them the Pulqui I and II:
Much has been said, written and speculated about the IA 33 Pulqui II - It is time to dispel the legends that revisionist's have spread calamo currente through the years that have elapsed since the aircraft was presented amidst great fanfare.
Kurt Tank's assignment was to design a far better airplane than the Pulqui I. It had been decided from the beginning that the new fighter would be named the Pulqui II. For that Tank was very well prepared for the job. From the late 1944, his team had been working on a 2nd generation jet fighter for the Luftwaffe under the designation Ta 183 Huckebein. It was an advanced jet, extraordinarily compact in size and aerodynamically clean, sporting a 32º swept wing, and accomodating a Heinkel He S011A jet engine which would bring it to calculated maximum speed of 967 km/h at an altitude of 7000 meters.
The chosen powerplant for the Pulqui II was Rolls Royce Nene II. The Nene was more powerful than the He S011A but required a redesigned new fuselage with a larger cross-section due to it having a centrifugal rather than axial compressor. The resulting product was the IAe.33 Pulqui II. The high-mounted negative-incidence wings were swept back 40º, even more than the Ta 183. The long fuselage was perfectly circular in section with the engine buried inside right at the center of gravity. The airframe was finished off with a graceful swept-back T-shaped tail. The pilot sat in a pressurized cockpit under a teardrop canopy. Armament would include four fuselage-mounted 20mm cannon. Contrary to the previous Dewoitine design, many elements incorporated into the Pulqui II were totally new in the fields of aeronautical construction, placing the Argentinean aero industry amongst the most advanced during those years.
.
IAe.33 Pulqui II
The first prototype - was used in static tests till its destruction, thus the 2nd prototype was the first to fly. Piiorly, a an engineless glider, with the purpose of studying the aerodynamic behaviour of the airframe. Like all of his previous designs, it was Kurt Tank himself who test-flew the glider. After a series of tests, Tank arrived to the conclusion that the airframe showed no design flaws, and the construction of the powered prototype was ordered.
The first flight of the IAe.33 Pulqui II nº 2 took place on 16 June, 1950 with Osvaldo Weiss at the controls. The second flight which took place three days later was entrusted to ex-Focke Wulf test pilot Behrens. Kurt Tank also completed a good number of the test flights undertaken during the following weeks. The new aircraft proved successful in most respects, but like its "cousin" the MiG-15 it displayed some handling difficulties at the extremes of the flight envelope. Lack of operational range was another problem which wasn't solved until the fifth prototype.
The last prototype, nº 5, was a modified version to increase the operational range and wore a designation Pulqui IIe. It featured a reinforced "wet" wing containing two integral fuel tanks.
The IAe 33 Pulqui II project was inexorably linked to the machinations and fortunes of the Peronist regime.[34] Although the Fábrica Militar de Aviones was charged with bringing aviation projects to completion, constant political interference contributed to delays and disarray in aviation programs.[34] Severe economic problems led in 1951 to the Perón government using the Fábrica Militar de Aviones to build cars, trucks, and motorcycles,[35] including the IAME Rastrojero. Moreover, Tank's team was not primarily focused on the IAe 33, completing the design of the FMA IA 35 Huanquero multi-purpose aircraft (transport, trainer and reconnaissance roles), that eventually entered production at the Dirección Nacional de Fabricación e Investigación Aeronáutica (DINFIA) (Spanish: "National Directorate of Aeronautical Manufacturing and Research"). The most devastating political decision was to divert the entire manufacturing program "seemingly overnight" to automotive products and agricultural equipment, essentially closing the aviation divisions.[34] The competing DINFIA projects such as automotive manufacture served to further drain resources in time, money and personnel from the Pulqui II project.[22]
Pulqui II (No. 04), c. 1955
While Argentina's finances were extremely strained at this juncture following the economic crisis in 1953, the most serious setback to the project came in January 1955 when Tank's contract expired. He reputedly requested almost twice as much money to continue but President Perón instead canceled his contract outright.[30] Despite four years of development and trials, the IAe 33 project was still encountering teething problems and its status remained unclear although no final decision had been made to abandon a project that had reached iconic stature in the Perónist era.[3]
Operational history
In September 1955, the sole remaining Pulqui II prototype was pressed into action in the Revolución Libertadora, a coup d'état led by General Eduardo Lonardi against Perón.[36] The exact details of its participation are unknown, but when rebel forces commanded by Lonardi captured Córdoba as their first conquest, together with the Meteor F 4s fighter-bombers stationed at the Córdoba Escuela De Aviación - SACE (Military Aviation School), the IAe 33 was enlisted in the struggle.[37] After flying combat missions against Peronist stalwarts, it later appeared in a flyover during the victory parade at Córdoba celebrating the triumph of the coup over loyalist forces.[37]
Pulqui II (No. 04) possibly in camouflage, c. 1955
When the military junta came to power, the IAe 33 project was thrown into disarray. The new government released many of the leading air force staff; similarly, most of Tank's team was forced to leave Argentina with Tank himself going to India, where he worked for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and later developed the HF-24 Marut supersonic fighter.[37]
In 1956, the air force, in an effort to gain political support, planned a record flight from Córdoba to Buenos Aires to demonstrate the combat potential of the IAe 33. The Pulqui II would fly 800 km, strafe an air force practice range in the Buenos Aires area, and then return to Córdoba using only internal fuel. The only oxygen equipment available for such a long flight was scrounged from a FMA Meteor under repairs. Lt. Balado successfully completed the flight (including the strafing demonstration) at an average cruise speed of around 900 km/h, but the oxygen system failed on the return leg.[22] The semi-conscious pilot managed to perform an emergency landing at high speed, but the heavy landing and resulting stress broke the landing gear, with the Pulqui II overrunning the end of the runway and being damaged beyond repair.[38]
Cancellation: A legend worthy of the 1.001 Nights:
"It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5
Shortly after Balado's record flight, the Argentine Air Force reviewed its decision to acquire 100 Pulqui IIs for its fighter force. Based on the spares and wing and fuselage components at hand, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones asserted that ten aircraft could be constructed relatively quickly, however, the remainder of the order would take five years to complete. Meanwhile, plans for an alternative replacement of the hundred aging Meteor F4s obtained in the late 1940s that constituted the backbone of the Air Force continued, initially centered on the acquisition of 36 Canadair CL-13B Mk 6 Sabres, an idea which was dropped in 1956 because the Central Bank was unable to provide the necessary foreign exchange.[39]
With the Canadair Sabre no longer a viable option, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones seriously considered having the Pulqui II enter series production.[39] A new prototype was ordered in 1957, despite the United States having offered 100 combat-proven F-86 Sabre fighters with Orenda engines that were available immediately. The fifth IAe 33 Pulqui II (No. 05) prototype, designated Pulqui IIe,[20] was constructed in 1959 (visually identical to the fourth prototype although retaining the original frameless, clear canopy) and entered flight testing after its first flight on 18 September of that year,[6] with Lt. Roberto Starc at the controls.[2] The continual evolution of the Pulqui II had resulted in the design team solving its inherent instability at high angles of attack,[40] as well as increasing fuel capacity through the use of a wet wing, to provide sufficient range.[20] However the fighter was now not only considered obsolete,[22] but also politically tainted due to its association with Perón.[41]
Consequently, the Argentine government decided to cancel the IAe 33 project at the zenith of its development, instead acquiring second-hand F-86F-40 Sabres from the United States at a "bargain-basement price" under the Mutual Defense Assistance Act. Finally, in September 1960, Argentina received only 28 aircraft, in poor condition and without the promised Orenda engine.[22]
The government-controlled press highlighted the new
The Sad Reality
Two Rolls Royce Nene II engines were acquired in 1948-9, followed by two additional in January 1951. Furthermore, the manufacturer further stated in a letter forwarded to me in 2007 that THE IAME never acquired acquired the rights to build that engine under license, and that the so-called Jet Engine factory merely assembled the Rolls Derwent 5s from imported components.
The North American F-86F Sabre
In 1957, the Argentine Air Force was offered the Republic F-84G as replacement of its Gloster Meteor aircraft, while the Argentines wanted Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, which at over US $ 300.000 a piece was a luxury the Argentine economy could not afford. The U.S./ then offered a small batch of North American F-86Es, and the Argentines eventually settled for the F-86F, 28 if which were eventually delivered., after these aircraft were reconditioned and Argentine pilots underwent training courses in the U.S. The assumption that they were promised "100 Sabres with Orenda engines" (sic) is merely a phantasy, since this was the power plant employed by the Canadair -built Sabres... As is the pretense that "they were received in poor condition". They arrived with enough spares for five years. In March 1962, in The Inter American Gunnery Contest held at Las Lajas.in the province of Neuquén, against F-86Fs of the U.S. National Air Guard and the Peruvian AF, the Argentines won by a wide margin (973,5 points, vs 852 for the U.S. team.
`Onne of the myths published by the government-controlled press (P.B.T Magazine, June 1954) was that:" A series of 10 Pulqui IIs would soon be distributed to units of the Air Force". In fact, as we have seen, only four Nene engines were available, and two of these powered the ill-fated 2nd and 3rd. prototypes. Furthermore``, Tank envisaged a more powerful Power plant for subsequent prototypes of the Pulqui II and in October 1950, the Argentine Embassy in Washington requested prices and details for two Alisson Tye 400, 400 M and 400R turbo engines, or two Pratt & Whitney J-48s. But Washington never replied. The election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency of the U.S. signaled an era of improved relations between Buenos Aires and Washington. On a meeting held with Alfred Nuffer, the U.S. Ambassador in Buenos Aires, Perón discussed the possibility of enlisting American aid for the development of ship-building plants and dry docks as well as assistance in building a plant to produce fighters in a large scale, which would be far beyond the range of Russian aircraft. The plant Perón visualized would be able to produce complete aircraft, including engines, adding that in the event of war, Argentina would place the production of such a plant at the disposal of the U.S. Nuffer referred the matter to Washington, but any hopes Perón may have entertained were dashed when Washington did not accede to his request.
In other words, to talk about a project carried out during the democratically elected government of Juan Domingo Peron, not a "Regime", nothing better than a staunch anti-Peronist.
Luckily there are serious authors who investigated the development of Pulqui I and II.
I recommend this book to everyone, the best that has been written so far on the subject:
And this other one is by far the best book that has been written so far on the FMA and its aeronautical projects from its foundation in 1927 until approximately the year 2005.
And this "revisionist" book is still reference material, with excellent graphics and photographs.
"The democratically elected government of Juan Domingo Peron, not a "Regime", nothing better than a staunch anti-Peronist.
Luckily there are serious authors who investigated the development of Pulqui I and II."
Hitler and Stalin were also "democratically elected. The Peronist regime was characterized by its dictatorial measures 1) attack ann the press and media, confiscation of newspapers, secret police, personality cult," and it became a dictatorship in other words. Regarding the Pulqui II, I have used US military attaché reports, and Rolls Royce records which prove that there were only 4 Nene engines purchased, and that the so-called Jet Engine Factory merely assembled RR Derwent Vs from imported components. I met Halbritter in 1997, and although he errs in assuming that the US offered 100 Sabres (In fact, the Argentine AF was initially offered Republic F-84Gs in 1957-then 15 F-86Es, and late in 1958 28 F-86Fs-under the provisions of a treaty which granted badly needed equipment for all three services. As noted previously, the Argentines actually wanted Lockheed F-104Gs, which at over US$300,000 picece were unaffordable-besides, the U.S> would not relase that plane to Latin American nations ) Other than that and a few discrepancies, I found that Francisco's treatment of the Pulqui II program coincides with mine, that is to say, that the program it as served as an element of prestige and propaganda to the regime, that the design experienced a series of difficulties which were never overcome, and that its costs were much greater than anticipated. Unfortunately, Francisco didn't access to the U.S. attaché's reports of the meetings of Peron, San martin and Lockheed in the log negotiations held in 1954, since the State Dept. had given the greenlit to the IAME's desire to license build Lockheed F-94s, which ended in September, when Peron admitted there weren't any funds available. Sorry Gastón....reality isn't' as much fun as fiction. See also Pancho San Martin's book, and you'll see his references...
Nice pic Roland. Have it myself ((via USAF) It was actually taken at the Aeronautical Week Exhibit (Oct.-Nov. 1947) Initially the IAé27 was mounted on a pedestal. Note the Calquin bomber with EX- serials and underwing rockets.
yeah, EX-08 with the large triple rockets and the smaller ones mounted on the wing. (attached the pic)
Another thing about the Pulqui 1 i had around and shared some time ago, was a metallic model gifted to my grandpa for working on said plane, i could have taken another pic a few days ago (since we got it in a stand now) but i forgot..sorry
Another thing about the Pulqui 1 i had around and shared some time ago, was a metallic model gifted to my grandpa for working on said plane, i could have taken another pic a few days ago (since we got it in a stand now) but i forgot..sorry.
When I was a child in Buenos Aires, my cousin Wolfgang gave me as a birthday present, six Pulqui II plastic planes, which were fairly accurate. By the way, the FMA used some spare aluminum scraps c. 1932 to make 500 models of the Dewoitine D.21 which were presented to children. Wolfgang had one of these.
Regarding IAe.27 Pulqui I, were the wingtips modified during flight testing ? looks like earlier photographs show 'rounded' tips whilst later 'cropped' ?
Regarding IAe.27 Pulqui I, were the wingtips modified during flight testing ? looks like earlier photographs show 'rounded' tips whilst later 'cropped' ?
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