When someone in Argentina talks about pucara, to dry, is referring to what is possibly the most iconic combat aircraft ever produced in the country. Owner of an unmistakable aesthetic and recognized for his outstanding work during the Malvinas War, the IA-58 Pucara it gained cult status among aviation fans. To the point that, in 2019, a crowd gathered at Reconquistain the extreme north of the province of Santa Fe, to say goodbye to him in his retirement, after 45 years in the service of the Air Force.
The IA-58 Pucará was a two-seater ground attack aircraft powered by two turboprop engines. Its development was in charge of the Fábrica Militar de Aviones de Córdoba, today FAdeA, and began in the 1960s. The origins of this aircraft date back to the need of the Argentine Air Force to have a device specifically designed for missions of counterinsurgency.
A Pucará prototype, under the name AX-01, flew for the first time in August 1969. While the mass-produced models entered service five years later, in 1974. The aircraft was involved in the 1975 Operation Independence , where the Argentine armed forces clashed with guerrilla organizations; but it had its high point of action during the Malvinas War, in 1982.
During the South Atlantic conflict, the IA-58 Pucará excelled in close air support and reconnaissance missions. And also fulfilled the function of “cazahelicópteros”. Your ability to operate from short and unsuitable tracks for other types of aircraft, added to its resistance and weapons, made it one of the icons of Argentine aviation in the fight against the United Kingdom.
IA-58 Pucará: designed and manufactured in Argentina
That the Pucará has been —and continues to be— one of the most beloved aircraft by Argentine aviation lovers is not by chance. The IA-58 was not as fast as the supersonic Mirage and Super Étendard, nor did it have the power and agility of the Douglas A-4 or its direct successor, the A-4AR Fightinghawk. However, it had other characteristics that made it tremendously relevant.
Although the IA-58 Pucará was a light ground attack aircraft, his weapons did not go unnoticed. It incorporated four 7.62-millimeter Browning M2-30 machine guns and two 20-millimeter Hispano-Suiza automatic cannons. In addition, it had three hardpoints —one under each wing and the rest under the fuselage— that allowed it to load general-purpose bombs of up to 250 kilograms or 70-mm air-to-surface rocket launchers. They could also be used to carry up to three external fuel tanks, to extend their range on reconnaissance missions.
Its ability to operate from unprepared or unprepared terrain allowed it to reach forward fighting positions, something that was impossible in jet-engined aircraft. In addition, thanks to its maneuverability and stability, it could perform low flights for close air support missions.
But what generates the greatest admiration for the IA-58 Pucará is that it is the only combat aircraft designed and manufactured in Argentina that has participated in an international war. And that he rose to the occasion.
In addition, it always attracted attention for being a “big” aircraft compared to other turboprop developments with similar characteristics. The IA-58 Pucará measured 14.5 meters long, by 5.4 meters high, and had a wingspan of 14.3 meters. Regarding performance, it incorporated two Turbomeca Astazou engines of French origin that allowed him to fly at a maximum speed of 576 kilometers per hour. As we have already said, it was not the fastest aircraft in the Argentine Air Force, but it did not need to be to fulfill its mission either.
The post Malvinas
It is estimated that the Military Aircraft Factory produced 110 units of the IA-58 Pucará until 1993. At the time of the Malvinas War, some 60 had already been delivered to the Argentine Air Force. Of the total number of units that participated in the conflict in the South Atlantic, 24 were shot down or destroyed by the United Kingdom. However, most of the casualties suffered by the fleet occurred during attacks on the bases and airfields from which they operated.
In fact, several units of the plane – between 5 and 11, according to different records – were sent to British territory for analysis and exhibition. In 1983, a Pucará captured by the United Kingdom was made airworthy and used for testing. On completion, it was handed over to the Royal Air Force Museum at Cosford.
After the Malvinas War, the IA-58 Pucará continued to operate from the III Reconquista Air Brigade, in Santa Fe. Surprisingly, the aircraft was not very successful as an export product.. A few units were sold to Colombia, Uruguay and Sri Lanka, where, as in Argentina, they are already out of service.
Beyond the qualities of the aircraft, the quality of the Turbomeca Astazou engines would have been the main impediment to selling them to more countries. In fact, the cessation of its manufacture, added to the lack of spare parts and the number of flight hours and age of other components, forced the Argentine Air Force to say goodbye in 2019.
The Renaissance
Shortly after his retirement from active duty, a new process began for the IA-58 Pucará. In 2019, FAdeA introduced an experimental version of the plane, baptized as Pucara Phoenix, with several modernizations. To begin with, the Turbomeca Astazou engines were replaced by some Pratt & Whitney PT6A-62 with four-blade propellers, against the original three. In addition, an avionics and communications modernization was applied, as well as improvements in the cabin.
The intention of the Argentine Air Force is use it as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. To do this, it was equipped with an active electronically scanned radar and a pod of aerial observation, developed by the companies INVAP and FixView, respectively. However, in recent months it has been hinted that, beyond the new equipment, it is not ruled out restoring its attack characteristics.
At the end of 2021 it was learned that the Ministry of Defense would allocate more than 16 million dollars to the IA-58 Pucará modernization project, in order to convert the existing units to the Fénix standard. Still, Argentina’s complex economic landscape makes it difficult to know when the program will be completed. Despite this, more than 50 years after flying for the first time, the endearing Pucará refuses to be forgotten.