FMA IA 50 Guaraní II

The I.A. 50 Guaraní II is an Argentine utility aircraft designed at the DINFIA (successor to the "Instituto Aerotecnico" - AeroTechnical Institute) in the early 1960s.

Design and development


In the early 1960s, the Argentine state aviation conglomerate, DINFIA, realised that its IA 35 Huanquero twin-piston engined light transport was becoming outdated, and it was decided to develop a turboprop-engined derivative. While of similar layout to the Huanquero, with both aircraft being twin-engined low-wing monoplane of all metal construction with a twin tail, the new aircraft, the Guaraní, shared only 20% of the structure of the Huanquero. It was powered by two Turbomeca Bastan III engines each rated at 850 shp. It first flew on 6 February 1962.

The aircraft was further developed as the Guaruani II; the main difference being a single swept fin and a shortened rear fuselage. It also used more powerful (930 shp) Bastan VIA engines. The fuselage was semi-monocoque with a squared cross-section, having unswept wings and swept tailplanes. The prototype Guaraní was rebuilt to this standard and flew in this form on 26 April 1963.

Operational history


In June 1965 the Guarani II prototype (serial number TX-01) was exhibited and flown at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, France). TX-01 was later flown to the CEV (“Centre d’Essays en Vol”, Air Test Centre) at Istres, France, for technical evaluation, where it was tested for a total of 200 flying hours.  It was flown back to the FMA, Argentina in February 1966, being the first Latin American-built aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

The last flying example was retired on 7 January 2007 at the II Brigada Aérea (IInd Air Brigade), at Paraná, Entre Rios, Argentina and made its last flight to the National Aeronautics Museum ("Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica") of the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina), at Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina where it was placed on display.

Operators

 * Argentine Air Force
 * Argentine Federal Police - One operated 1970–1981.
 * Argentine Navy
 * Argentine Naval Aviation
 * Servicio Penitenciario Federal
 * Líneas Aéreas Provinciales de Entre Ríos
 * Government of Córdoba
 * Government of Salta
 * Ministry of National Welfare

Surviving aircraft



 * Last operational G-II, retired in 2006, at the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina ("National Aeronautics Museum")