Latin American aerospace news and aircraft projects

MiG-29SMT

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Aero Boero AG.260 agricultural aircraft (260 hp Lycoming O-540 engine)





Aero Boero 260Ag (Argentina)

Single-seat agricultural monoplane, the prototype of which first flew on 23 December 1972. The static test programme and flight certification were due for completion in April 1978. Powered by one 194 kW (260 hp) Lycoming O-540 flat-six engine. Equipment includes a non-corrosible glassfibre tank with a capacity of 500 litres (110 Imp gallons) of liquid or 500 kg (1,102 lb) of dry chemicals

http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft33910.htm
 

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The restoration of the IAe.34m took five years of concerted effort from the dedicated team of volunteers at the Industrial Museum at Cordoba. It was completed in the original pale blue and white colours of the original Clen Antus in late 2006 and is still on public display at the museum.




One of the two IAe.34m single-seaters in flight. Reimar Horten himself referred to the two-seat variant as the H.XVa and the single-seaters as H.XVbs. Horten also developed the H.XVc (IAe.41), a side-by-side two-seat flyingwing glider, named Urubu (Owl), which first flew in 1953 and made a towed crossing of the Andes in 1956.



A Clen Antu in flight following the type’s maiden flight on June 20, 1949. It was not easy to fly. Pilot Manuel Fentanes recalls a flight in which he had difficulty in lowering the nose to see the tug. “I was careless and had taken the glider too high. Trying to track the tug aircraft I was using the pedals, and almost made the tug stall”.


http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft34790.htm
 

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On Saturday, Boeing (NYSE:BA) terminated a $4 billion deal that would have given it controlling of the commercial aerospace operations of Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) after a Friday night deadline came and passed without the two sides ironing out final details.

In press release, Marc Allen, president of Boeing's Embraer partnership unit, called the decision "deeply disappointing" but said "we have reached a point where continued negotiation ... is not going to resolve the outstanding issues."

The termination, like the initial deal itself, is likely to be highly controversial, and the decision comes with both pros and cons for Boeing.

 

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It's a Fact, the Russian Parastatal ROSOBORONEXPORT and the Mexican Craft Avia Center have confirmed that the FIRST RUSSIAN Ansat HELICOPTER has already been ASSEMBLED in Mexico.
With the arrival and Assembly of this First Unit, Mexico and Russia take a further step in Industrial and Commercial cooperation between both Nations.
 

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BV-01
Development, design, construction and integration of software and hardware in a set of subsystems of a prototype rocket, which can be launched from a test platform, powered by solid fuel that enables the essential characteristics of a tactical-use rocket to be achieved for SEMAR. .


 

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early Argentine cruise missile
the IA-X-59 was an early attempt by the FMA to develop a RPV, or drone, at the request of the FAA. Only one propeller-powered prototype was built, but there were studies of turbojet and turbofan powered variants, which did not pass the preliminary study stage.

Extract from the book "Military Factory of Airplanes, Chronicles and Testimonies" by Angel Cesar Arreguez

FMA I.A. X 59 Dronner

Radio-controlled target plane, also called TABANO. It made its presentation flight on December 9, 1972 in Serrezuela (Córdoba). Could be used with remote sensors,
cameras, camcorders and as target. A prototype was made.

Features: 45 hp MC CULLOCH engine and fixed pitch propeller; fuel capacity 45 l; maximum speed 340 km/h; service ceiling 5900 m; flight time 1 h; length 4,070 m; wingspan 3.6 m; wing area 2.25 m; maximum weight 160 Kg
 

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In 2016, I made a short tour in Mexico to investigate the growing composites industry there. Guided by Alfonso Cuellar, director of the composites distributor AIC International (Corona, Calif., U.S.), I visited a variety of composite manufacturers between Mexico City and Querétaro. The latter has become a center of excellence for plastics, composites and aerospace manufacturing and maintenance. My timing was unfortunate, as Donald Trump’s vitriol toward our southern neighbor began shortly afterward. My scheduled feature on composites in Mexico was postponed because I didn’t want to transform these new ventures — including Bombardier’s (Montreal, Canada) facility in Querétaro for producing the LearJet 85 — into targets for ill will.

Last December, however, the growth of composites in Mexico was further confirmed, with news about the first composite fuselage made at the Aeronautical University in Querétaro (UNAQ), which I had visited in 2016. This prototype fuselage for Oaxaca Aerospace’s (Tlalixtac de Cabrera, Oaxaca, Mexico) Pegasus P-400T two-seat trainer jet aircraft was made by the UNAQ spin-off RHEM composites. I have interviewed RHEM Composites and now am finally getting a chance to tell not only their story, but just a little about how composites are maturing and have, I believe, a great future in Mexico.

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Pegasus P-400T
Oaxaca Aerospace was founded to manufacture high-speed aircraft for reconnaissance, aerial surveillance and training missions. Begun in 2011, Pegasus was to be an agile, fast and inexpensive two-seater jet aircraft. Oaxaca Aerospace general manager Rodriguez Fernandez explained the goal was to make an innovative aircraft, completely different from what already existed, using modern engineering and advanced software. Rodriguez and his father, Raúl Fernandez, director of Oaxaca Aerospace, have noted that although military aircraft were made in Mexico in the 1960s, they were copies, and most aircraft currently in use by the Mexican government date back to the 1950s, modernized only in avionics and engines.

In contrast, the Pegasus P-400T is to be part of a new generation of fighter planes, developed and built in Mexico, and adapted to the needs of the Mexican Air Force. Composites are a key part of that vision, delivering high performance with lower operating costs versus metal construction. The P-400T unveiled in 2019 will reportedly cost only $3 million compared to similar aircraft costing up to $11 million. Measuring 8.4 meters long and 4 meters tall, it will have a top speed of 550 kilometers/hour with a range of ≈2,250 kilometers and a 5-hour flight capacity. Its 400-horsepower turbocharged engine is reported to consume only 57 liters of fuel/hour compared to 189 liters/hour for similar aircraft.




The first prototype, the Pegasus PE-201A, was built in aluminum and completed in 2013. By 2015, the design had evolved to the P-400T along with a need to reduce weight and thus, move away from aluminum and toward composites.


Prototype construction

RHEM Composites layup infusion for CFRP fuselage prototype P400-T

For the P-400T composite prototype fuselage, RHEM Composites used eight layers of carbon fiber multiaxial fabric for the base and quasi-isotropic layup with additional build-ups in specific areas. This layup was then vacuum bagged and infused with epoxy resin. Source | RHEM Composites
“At this point, Oaxaca Aerospace formed an agreement with UNAQ to develop the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer [CFRP] fuselage for the third P-400T prototype,” explains Cesar Gamboa, a professor of composites at UNAQ and mentor to the RHEM Composites spin-off. “Based on initial design and structural simulations completed by Professor Gamboa, we began developing the composite laminate and structure for the fuselage,” says David Leonardo Rivera Jimenez, RHEM Composites CEO and UNAQ aeronautical engineering and manufacturing graduate. “We made samples using resin infusion and completed physical testing as well as further structural simulations.” Laminates comprised eight layers of carbon fiber multiaxial fabric with one layer of copper mesh for lightning strike protection (LSP). “Some areas of the fuselage use a quasi-isotropic laminate while a build-up of strength and stiffness is required in specific areas,” says Gamboa. “For example, additional reinforcements were required in the vertical tail area.”





“The fuselage was made using two half-molds, left and right,” notes Uriel Ramírez Barragán, RHEM Composites co-founder, sales manager and UNAQ graduate with a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Ramírez also participated in the Master in Composite Materials program at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain) supported by Airbus (Toulouse, France). “The two fuselage halves are joined in the middle. That joint is then sealed and reinforced on the interior with more layers of CFRP. This was a challenge. especially along the mold edge at the canopy openings, where there wasn’t enough space to work properly.”

“We had the same challenges where framing was required,” says Rivera. “We also infused the fuselage joint and there were parts where we had to be inside the fuselage to do the handwork for this infusion. This was also a challenge.” Infusing the copper mesh LSP was not an issue, however. “It was on all of the exterior surfaces and the first layer in the mold,” notes Ramirez. “It wasn’t difficult and it didn’t hurt or help the resin flow.” He adds they used an epoxy resin that has fire-retardant properties.





RHEM Composites producing CFRP fuselage for P-400T aircraft
After left and right halves of the P-400T prototype fuselage were infused and cured (note copper mesh LSP on exterior, bottom left), they were painted gray, then brought together and encased in clamshell tooling for joining (top left). The two halves were sealed and the joint reinforced with dry carbon fabric and then infused (top right). The joined, demolded prototype is seen at bottom right. Source | RHEM Composites

"We are proud to be involved in this project that promotes the vision of Mexican aeronautical development and promoting the growth of this sector in our country," says REHM Composites CTO, Francisco Daniel Mancera Coyotl. He adds that the support from UNAQ was fundamental and allowed them to incubate their company through the area of entrepreneurship and consolidate it even more.

“We are very enthusiastic about the future of the Pegasus P-400T aircraft,” says Rivera. “Oaxaca Aerospace was planning to show this CFRP prototype at the Mexico Aerospace Summit in October 2020.” He adds that even if the event is postponed due to COVID-19, he believes Oaxaca Aerospace will still continue forward toward production. “We would like to keep supporting that development with new prototypes and parts.”






RHEM COMPOSITES

RHEM Composites testing on spread tow carbon fiber laminates

Materials characterization testing on spread-tow carbon fiber laminates. Source | RHEM Composites
RHEM Composites was started in 2015 and now has 20 employees. “Most of us graduated from UNAQ as engineers,” says Ramírez. The company operates within hangar/production space at UNAQ. In 2016, it completed work for another aircraft company, Horizontec (Querétaro), which wanted to develop a CFRP fuselage and wing components for its Falcon light sport aircraft (LSA). “Our engineers worked with them for materials characterization and laminate design,” he adds.

RHEM Composites carbon fiber composite seats for Vuhl supercar

Ultralight CFRP seats made for VŪHL supercar. Source | RHEM Composites

Other projects include developing a composite monocoque for a prototype high-performance electric sports car; redesigning plastic covers for an electric bicycle to be made with CFRP, cutting weight by 52%; and working with supercar/street-legal racer producer VŪHL (Mexico City and Querétaro) to design and produce ultra-lightweight CFRP seats.





RHEM Composites is also focused on composites sustainability. One of its current projects is to develop an electric bicycle using parts made from recycled carbon fiber (RCF). “Here in the Querétaro Aerospace Park, several companies work with CFRP and the waste is thrown away,” says Rivera. “We want to recycle it into new products, like this electric bike.” The company is working with the Mexican advanced technology and public research center CIATEQ, coordinated by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), to develop new products using RCF. “We have also participated in the X-challenge through Green Momentum Mexico,” he adds. “They are searching for innovative green ideas. We are using recycled fibers from ELG to make new parts and hope to win further funding to make this product commercially viable. Long-term, the goal is to support further green technology development in Mexico and Latin America.”

We have the capability to do much more,” says Ramírez. “We want to show that Mexico has the ability and technical knowledge to develop a wide range of high-performance and sustainable applications with composites.”



 

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The first F-39E Gripen multi-mission aircraft arrived at the Port of Navegantes, in Santa Catarina (SC), on Sunday, September 20, after being transported on a ship, from Norrköping, Sweden.

In the early hours of September 22, the F-39E Gripen was driven to Navegantes airport, the site of preparation for the first flight in Brazilian airspace. The accompaniment on the route was carried out by military personnel from the Security and Defense Group (GSD) of Canoas, Santa Maria and Florianópolis, in addition to the Fire Department and the Military Police of Santa Catarina.

 

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Portuguese-Brazilian designs aircraft factory and creates 1,200 jobs in Alentejo
The Portuguese CEiiA and the Brazilian DESAER will this Friday (25SET2020), launch, in Évora, in the presence of two ministers, the ATL-100 development and industrialization program

CEiiA, which has more than three hundred engineers in Matosinhos designing state-of-the-art products and systems by air, land and sea, and Desaer, a Brazilian company specializing in aircraft development, launch this Friday, September 25, in Évora, at the facilities of the engineering center at PACT (Parque do Alentejo de Ciência e Tecnologia), the ATL-100 Program.

This program results from the "joint venture" between CEiiA and DESAER and aims at "the development and industrialization of a new generation light aircraft for a short distance market, multi-configurable for greater flexibility in the logistics of passengers and goods, designed for lower operating costs and greater sustainability, foreseeing the evolution to a carbon neutral platform ", explains the Portuguese engineering center, in a statement.

ATL-100 is configured to transport passengers up to 19 people and to load up to 2.5 tons.

"With this program, we want to definitively reinforce what is the national aeronautical pole in Évora, with the development of a complete and innovative program that allows us to create a new integrator from Portugal, for the industrialization and operation of new aircraft. generation ", says Miguel Braga, from the direction of CEiiA.

Roberto Figueiredo, a shareholder in DESAER, stresses that "this partnership, which adds complementary skills to the aerospace sector in Portugal and Brazil, in addition to being an important project for technological innovation and job creation in both countries, is even more relevant in a context of crisis in the sector caused by the Covid-19 pandemic ".
 

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Mexico and Argentina signed an agreement to create the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency Marcelo Ebrard expressed his gratitude to the government of Alberto Fernández

Mexico and Argentina signed a commitment on Friday to create the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE).

In a virtual meeting headed by the foreign ministers of Mexico and Argentina, Marcelo Ebrard and Felipe Solá, in addition to the rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Enrique Graue and Dolly Montoya Castaño, rector of the National University of Colombia and representative of the network of universities in Latin America, the Declaration on the Constitution of a Regional Mechanism for Cooperation in the Space Field was signed for the creation of the Regional Space Agency for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We signed a commitment with Argentina to create the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE). Gratitude to Felipe Solá and the Government of Alberto Fernández as well as to all the members of CELAC. We are building the future today by developing our own technology. Good news !! ”, said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mexico, through his official Twitter account.

 

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