Model Airplane News
November, 1951


Model Airplane News Cover for November, 1951 by Jo Kotula F.M.A. I.A.27 Pulqui (Arrow)

F.M.A. I.A.27 "Pulqui" ("Arrow")
Model Airplane News Cover Art for November, 1951
by Jo Kotula
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The I.A.27 Pulqui (Arrow) was not only the first single-seat fighter to be designed in Argentina; it was also the first turbojet-powered aircraft to be built and flown by the nation. A cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, the Pulqui had a conventional tail unit, retractable tricycle landing gear, and accommodation for the pilot well forward on the fuselage beneath a jettisonable canopy. Power was provided by a Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojet mounted in the aft fuselage

Pulqui means 'arrow' in Mapuche Indian language.

 The F.M.A. I.A.27 Pulqui (Arrow)    The F.M.A. I.A.27 Pulqui (Arrow)      The F.M.A. I.A.27 Pulqui (Arrow)

Photos of the F.M.A. I.A.27 "Pulqui" ("Arrow")
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In the years following World War II, Dictator Peron approached different German scientists and offered them a chance to rebuild their professional lives. prominent between German exiles was Dr. Kurt Tank, former chief engineer at Focke Wulf, and designer of such famous fighters as Fw.190 and Ta.190. Dr. Tank, quickly collected a large team recruited from his own design bureau, and he established himself in Córdoba in 1947 as the FMA (Fábrica Militar de Aviones or Aircraft Military Factory) The first significant result of FMA’s efforts was IA-27 Pulqui, designed by Emile Dewoitine, well known in the French aviation industry before World War II. The planes were never produced on large scale. Nevertheless, Argentina thus became only the sixth nation world-wide to fly an own jet fighter, after – in chronological order – German, Great Britain, USA, Soviet Union, and France.

Here is a video of the F.M.A. I.A.27 "Pulqui" ("Arrow") :



In addition to the cover of Model Airplane News, this airplane was also featured in the WINGS "Friend or Foe" trading card series of the early 1950s

 Card 101 of the Wings Friend or Foe series The F.M.A. I.A.27 Pulqui (Arrow)

Trading card representation of the F.M.A. I.A.27 "Pulqui" ("Arrow")
Click Here to see all 200 cards in the series
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Click Here for more information about the F.M.A. I.A.27 "Pulqui" ("Arrow").

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