Aerostar S.A. is an
aeronautical manufacturing company based in
Bacău
Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
, Romania.
History
![Aerostar Festival (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Aerostar_Festival_%282%29.jpg)
Since its establishment in 1953, the company's name has changed numerous times in turn from ''U.R.A.'' to ''I.R.Av'', ''I.Av''. and finally ''Aerostar''. It has been subordinated to the
Ministry of Armed Forces and is currently a subsidiary of IAROM, former National Centre of the Romanian Aeronautical industry (CNIAR).
![Yak-52TW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Yak-52TW.jpg)
Aerostar has been a major provider of
maintenance, repair and overhaul
Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft or aircraft part, including overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of modifications, compliance w ...
(MRO) services for all aircraft types used by the Romanian military. The company also developed the
IAR-93 twin-engine, tactical ground-attack and reconnaissance aircraft, which was the first fighter aircraft produced in Romania following the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Furthermore, the company has also produced more than 1,800
Yak-52
The Yakovlev Yak-52 (russian: Яковлев Як-52) is a Soviet primary trainer aircraft which first flew in 1976. It was produced in Romania from 1977 to 1998 by Aerostar, as ''Iak-52'', which gained manufacturing rights under agreement wi ...
trainer aircraft; it was manufactured in Romania in three versions: the ''Iak-52'', ''Iak-52W'', and ''Iak-52TW''.
Aerostar developed its own range of light civil aircraft for
aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
and sport aviation, such as the
Festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...
light-sport aircraft.
During the 1990s and 2000s, upgrade programs for both the
MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickn ...
(MiG-21 LanceR) and
MiG-29 were developed by Aerostar in cooperation with the
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i defense electronics specialist
Elbit Systems. Aerostar has implemented these upgrades to produce the Romanian Air Force's
MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickn ...
LanceR fleet from its existing inventory of MiG-21 and MiG-21 bis fighters. The firm has also supplied similarly-upgraded MiG-21s to international operators, such as the
Mozambique Air Force
The Mozambique Air Force ( pt, Forca Aérea de Moçambique; FAM) is the air force of Mozambique. From 1985 to 1990 it was known as the People's Liberation Air Force (''Força Aérea Popular de Libertação''; FAPL).
Overview
Due to Mozambique's ...
. However, the MiG-29 SNIPER upgrade never progressed being a technological demonstrator as the service opted to concentrate its limited resources upon the MiG-21 instead. Around the same time, a modernisation program was also carried out on the Iak-52W and Iak-52TW trainers. The firm was also involved in the LAROM modernization program, which upgraded the 40 APRA 122 FMC multiple rocket launchers belonging to the Romanian Army.
During the 1990s and 2000s, the company became engaged in numerous international projects, regularly in partnership with various other aerospace companies, including
Elbit Systems,
Thales Group
Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris' ...
(
Thomson-CSF
Thomson-CSF was a French company that specialized in the development and manufacture of electronics with a heavy focus upon the aerospace and defence sectors of the market.
Thomson-CSF was formed in 1968 following the merger of Thomson-Houst ...
),
EADS (
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace
''Dasa'' ( sa, दास, Dāsa) is a Sanskrit word found in ancient Indian texts such as the ''Rigveda'' and ''Arthasastra''. It usually means "enemy" or "servant" but ''dasa'', or ''das'', also means a " servant of God", "devotee," " votary" or ...
) and
Textron Marine & Land Systems
Textron Marine & Land Systems, formerly Cadillac Gage, is an American military contractor that manufactures armored vehicles, turrets, advanced marine craft, surface effects ships, and other weapon systems. It is owned by Textron, and was formed ...
. On separate occasions, Aerostar's management has stated that such partnerships are a deliberate element of the company's long term strategy. One major sector of work for the firm has been the aerostructures sector.
Throughout the 2010s, Aerostar has continued to restructure its operations in pursuit of international customers, intending to achieve a decreased level of reliance upon domestic consumers such as the Romanian military.
Starting in the 1990s, the Romanian government launched efforts to privatise many of its state-owned assets, including Aerostar. According to aerospace periodical
Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's old ...
, various international companies, including the German aerospace conglomerate
DASA
''Dasa'' ( sa, दास, Dāsa) is a Sanskrit word found in ancient Indian texts such as the ''Rigveda'' and ''Arthasastra''. It usually means "enemy" or "servant" but ''dasa'', or ''das'', also means a " servant of God", "devotee," " votary" or ...
, reportedly took an interest in acquiring the company. In February 2000, it was announced that the Romanian government's 69.99 percent stake in the firm would be acquired by a private consortium of Aerostar management and employees (PAS) and
IAROM; the nation maintained a
golden share to potentially
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
decisions that would seriously impact the firm's defense capabilities. That same year, Aerostar was restructured as a
limited liability
Limited liability is a legal status in which a person's financial liability is limited to a fixed sum, most commonly the value of a person's investment in a corporation, company or partnership. If a company that provides limited liability to it ...
company, reportedly for tax purposes as well as to increase its appeal to potential investors, which were actively sought to fund the firm's expansion plans.
In the mid-2000s, Aerostar was contracted to produce
Southern Condor
The Southern Condor is an American powered parachute that was designed and produced by Southern Powered Parachutes (formerly called Condor Powered Parachutes) of Nicholson, Georgia. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft wa ...
powered parachute
A powered parachute, often abbreviated PPC, and also called a motorized parachute or paraplane, is a type of aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels.
The FAA defines a powered parachute as ''a powered aircraft a flexible o ...
airframes for the American company
Southern Powered Parachutes, which were sold to consumers in the
North American market.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04.'' Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. page 81. ISSN 1368-485X.] During the late 2000s, the company started manufacturing a new line of
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...
s (UAVs) with
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i assistance; multiple deals were arranged with foreign militaries for Aerostar-built UAVs. In 2011, the firm received work from an agreement between Elbit and the Romanian Air Force to upgrade the latter's fleet of
Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...
cargo aircraft.
In recent decades, Aerostar has sought to provide its MRO services to various commercial and international operators; since 2003, the servicing and heavy maintenance of civilian
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
s has been one such undertaking. In 2012, to provide increased capacity for this work, a new hangar was completed at the company's Bacau facility. During May 2015, Russian low-cost airline
Utair
Utair (russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания «ЮТэйр») () is a Russian airline with its head office at Khanty-Mansiysk Airport while its hubs are at Surgut International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport. It operates schedule ...
arranged for its 737 fleet to be serviced by the firm; by this point, upwards of 50 737s per year were receiving C-checks alone at Aerostar's facilities. Similarly, the company has also provided MRO services for operators of the
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a series of Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air F ...
.
In September 2020, Aerostar opened a new aircraft maintenance center at the
Iași Airport
Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Western M ...
.
Starting in 2021, Aerostar will perform the maintenance service of the
Romanian Air Force
The Romanian Air Force (RoAF) ( ro, Forțele Aeriene Române) is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, five airbases and an air defense brigade. Reserve forces include one ai ...
F-16 fighter aircraft. The "Phase inspection" contract on F-16 number 1603 was awarded to the company on 17 September 2021.
Warbird projects
Starting in 1996
the German company Flug Werk GmbH in cooperation with Aerostar Bacău SA began construction of
FW 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' ("Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, t ...
replicas
A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...
. The first airplane flew in 2004, with a total of 21 aircraft being manufactured and sold as kits.
The group of designers from Aerostar used about 3.5 tons of parts recovered from various wrecks found and reached a total of 8000 drawings. As no original
BMW 801
The BMW 801 was a powerful German air-cooled 14-cylinder-radial aircraft engine built by BMW and used in a number of German Luftwaffe aircraft of World War II. Production versions of the twin-row engine generated between 1,560 and 2,000 PS ...
engines were available, Chinese made Dongan Hs-7, license built copy of the
Shvetsov ASh-82FN
The Shvetsov ASh-82 (M-82) is a Soviet 14-cylinder, two-row, air-cooled radial engine, radial aircraft engine developed from the Shvetsov M-62. The M-62 was the result of development of the Shvetsov M-25, M-25, which was a licensed version of th ...
engines, were used. These engines had about 200 hp more than the original BMW engines. The landing gear, engine frame and exhaust system were redesigned, using modern materials.
Three
FW 190 Ds with
Allison V-12 engines were also manufactured.
Products
See also
*
Aviation in Romania
Romania has a rich tradition in aviation. At the beginning of the 20th century, pioneers such as Henri Coandă, Aurel Vlaicu, Traian Vuia and George Valentin Bibescu made important contributions to early aviation history, building revolutionary a ...
References
External links
Aerostar programmes
Aircraft manufacturers of Romania
Manufacturing companies established in 1953
Romanian brands
Companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange
1953 establishments in Romania
Companies based in Bacău
{{Romanian aerospace industry