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FMA I.Ae 33 Pulqui II

3,966 ItsTomcatTuesday  2.3 years ago

The FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II (in the indigenous language Mapuche, Pulqúi: Arrow was a jet fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1940s in Argentina, under the Perón government, and built by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) Embodying many of the design elements of the wartime Focke-Wulf Ta 183, an unrealized fighter project, the FMA envisioned the IAe 33 Pulqui II as a successor to the postwar Gloster Meteor F4 in service with the Fuerza Aérea Argentina. The Pulqui II's development was comparatively problematic and lengthy, with two of the four prototypes being lost in fatal crashes. Despite one of the prototypes being successfully tested in combat during the Revolución Libertadora, the political, economic and technical challenges faced by the project meant that the IAe 33 was unable to reach its full potential, and the Argentine government ultimately chose to purchase F-86 Sabres from the United States in lieu of continuing development of the fighter to production status.

Spotlights

General Characteristics

  • Created On Windows
  • Wingspan 44.6ft (13.6m)
  • Length 49.9ft (15.2m)
  • Height 16.1ft (4.9m)
  • Empty Weight 13,159lbs (5,968kg)
  • Loaded Weight 21,378lbs (9,697kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 5.676
  • Wing Loading 34.4lbs/ft2 (168.1kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 620.9ft2 (57.7m2)
  • Drag Points 9365

Parts

  • Number of Parts 136
  • Control Surfaces 9
  • Performance Cost 664