Image source: topwar.ru
Recently, after many years of development, the first images of the prototype IA-100B Malvina training aircraft, which is manufactured at the Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) plant in Cordoba, Argentina, were published. The new machine should become the main type of TCB of the country's Air Force.
The current IA-100B Malvina is a completely new aircraft compared to the earlier IA-100A, as it was created "from scratch" in accordance with modern military training standards.
The IA-100 program was launched in December 2014. Originally conceived as a technology demonstrator, the IA-100A first flew on August 8, 2016. This early low-wing prototype was made of composite materials, had a fixed landing gear and a Lycoming AEIO-360 B1F 180 hp engine, and was not intended for mass production.
After a break, the project was resumed in 2020, and in August of the same year, the Ministry of Defense officially named the new version Malvina. The new aircraft has undergone significant changes compared to the IA-100A, in particular, it received a new wing and fuselage design, as well as a 260 hp Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 piston engine, which drives a three-bladed Hartzell propeller. It is capable of withstanding overloads from +6g to -3g and flying in an inverted position.
Image source: topwar.ru
The size of the car has changed. The IA-100B is 8.4 m long and 2.7 m high, which is more than the 7.8 and 2.4 m of the IA-100A. The cabin width is 1.45 m. The wing surface area is 14 square meters (IA-100A 12.5 square meters). The weight of an empty IA-100B aircraft is 964 kg (637 kg for IA-100A), the maximum take-off weight is 1350 kg. The fuel reserve is 130 kg, the maximum wing load is 96 kg per 1 sq. m. The cruising speed is 145 knots, and the stall speed is 57 knots.
Malvina is designed for flights at an altitude of up to 5,500 m and has a range of up to 900 km. The rate of climb is 5.15 m/s. The length of the take-off and landing distances is 450 and 550 m, respectively. The Garmin G500 avionics is installed in the cockpit.
In total, the Ministry of Defense plans to receive from 25 to 40 aircraft. The price of the aircraft in 2023 was less than $ 1 million, which also aroused the interest of the Air Forces of Paraguay and Uruguay.
Currently, the Argentine Air Force has 12 copies of the Beechcraft T-6C+ Texan II for basic training, 12 units of the EMB-312 Tucano, which are used both for training and as a light attack aircraft, 8 Grob G 120TP machines for basic training and 16 locally produced IA-63 Pampa II TCB, three of which are being upgraded to the Pampa III configuration.
