Lockheed Martin and the Argentine government have signed a $230 million agreement to reopen production of the IA-63 Pampa jet trainer for the Argentine air force. Sales to the Argentine Navy and international customers and an upgrade of IA-58 Pucara twin-turboprop light attack aircraft are also emerging.

The basic contract calls for Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA (LMAASA) to build 12 of the trainers and upgrade 12 of the 17 Pampas Argentina bought in the 1980s. The Pampa production line at Cordoba, Argentina has been virtually idle since the late 1980s, although LMAASA built one aircraft last year to determine the effort needed to restart production.

The improved Pampa-which hasn't yet received a new designation-will feature enhanced avionics, said LMAASA president James Taylor. Competitors for the avionics suite include Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, Litton, Elbit, and Thomson-Sextant.

The first aircraft will be delivered in late 2001. Production tooling still exists and technical data has been provided by the Argentine government. The production run will last at least five years.
Lockheed Martin will also be responsible for maintaining Argentine Air Force aircraft, said the country's defense minister Ricardo Lopez Murphy.

In addition to the air force program, Lockheed Martin is hoping the Argentine Navy will sign for 8-12 of the new Pampas. A decision is expected later this year. The navy version would feature an enhanced landing gear and some differences in avionics, as well as a more powerful version of the original Garrett TPE331 engine, Taylor said.

While Lockheed Martin sees several countries that may be interested in acquiring the Pampa, Taylor said a detailed market assessment has not yet been conducted.

The new contract also calls for Lockheed Martin to upgrade the avionics on some of Argentina's C-130s. Hardware to be added includes a terrain collision avoidance system, liquid crystal displays, and new mission computer.

Another contract that may be pending is the Pucara upgrade. Argentina bought 115 of the aircraft and is very interested in an avionics upgrade. However, Taylor said there currently isn't enough money available to initiate the program in parallel with the Pampa effort. There are thus, at this point, no plans to reopen that aircraft's production.

By Robert Wall