ENAER () (''Empresa Nacional de Aeronáutica de Chile'', "National Aeronautical Company of Chile") is a
Chilean
aircraft manufacturer.
History
The origins of ENAER can be traced back to 1930, when the
Chilean Air Force formed a dedicated maintenance wing, the ''Maestranza Central de Aviación'' (Central Aviation Workshop). During 1980, the
Chilean Air Force established an aircraft manufacturing arm, ''IndAer''. During the early 1980s, an agreement with
Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...
saw IndAer begin the local assembly of the firm's
PA-28 Dakotas for the Chilean Air Force. Around the same period, it also started building the
ENAER T-35 Pillán, a military light trainer, which was developed for manufacture in Chile by Piper, based on a
PA-32R fuselage with a new center-section and wing stressed for aerobatics. The first production aircraft was delivered by ENAER to the Chilean Air Force Air Academy in August 1985.
On 16 March 1984, IndAer was reorganised as a state-owned company separate to the Chilean Air force, named ''ENAER'' (''Empresa Nacional de Aeronáutica de Chile'', "National Aeronautical Company of Chile").
The Chilean Air Force initially provided the company with
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
,
personnel
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...
and
resources, while one of the firm's prime responsibilities was to service the various aircraft types operated by the Chilean Air Force.
During the 1980s, the Chilean Air Force acquired four
Spanish-built
CASA C-101 trainer aircraft, along with a
licensing agreement for another eight to be assembled locally by ENAER. In Chilean service, the type is designated as the ''T-36 Halcón''. A follow-on agreement for a dedicated attack version of the C-101, which was locally designated as the ''A-36 Halcón'' ("Falcon"), was also ordered by Chile;
only the prototype was manufactured in Spain, while the remaining 22 machines were assembled by ENAER. Modifications over the trainer model previously procured included an engine upgrade and increased fuel capacity.
[Hewson 2001, p. 36.]
During 1986, ENAER decided to embark on its first entirely indigenous aircraft. It was a two-seat, single-engined light aircraft suitable for use by
flying clubs as a
training aircraft. As such, the project, initially known as the ''Avion Livano'' (light aircraft) and later known as the
Ñamcú, was to be inexpensive,
with a price of
US$70,000 claimed in 1991.
The first prototype made its maiden flight in April 1989,
with three more prototypes following, one of which had a fatal crash on 11 February 1992.
After attempts to interest the Chilean Air Force in the Ñamcú failed, ENAER set up
Euro-ENAER, a joint venture with the
Delft University of Technology and private Dutch investors, to
certify
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
the aircraft as airworthy in the Netherlands under European regulations; ENAER hoped to sell as many as 50 aircraft per year, at a price which had increased to US$100,000 per aircraft.
By 1998, it was planned to assemble a modified version of the aircraft, powered by a
Textron Lycoming O-320-D2A engine, in a new factory in the Netherlands. Certification was expected by late that year, while the unit price had again risen to $120,000. In early 1999, Euro-ENAER blamed poor weather and difficulties with the
Joint Aviation Authorities for certification delays, while the unit price rose yet again to US$160,000, although the company was forecasting annual sales of 50 aircraft per year in Europe and 200 per year in America. Euro-ENAER certified the aircraft in 1992, but the company announced that additional funding was needed to start production. Financing could not be found, however, thus Euro-ENAER was declared bankrupt later that year.
Aircraft
*
Maestranza Central de Aviacion HF XX-02
*
A-36 Halcón
The CASA C-101 Aviojet is a low-wing single engine jet-powered advanced trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Spanish aircraft company Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA).
The C-101 was developed in response to a ...
*
T-35 Pillán
*
ENAER Elkan
*
ENAER Pantera
*
ENAER Ñamcú
The ENAER ECH-02 Ñamcú was a single-engine, two-seat, light aircraft, designed and built by the Chilean manufacturer ENAER. A first prototype flew in 1989, and while the joint venture company Euro-ENAER was set up to build the aircraft in th ...
*
ENAER Eaglet
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
* Hewson, Robert. "The Vital Guide to Military Aircraft." Airlife, 2001. .
*
*
*
*
*
External links
ENAER
{{Authority control
Aircraft manufacturers of Chile
Defence companies of Chile
1930 establishments in Chile
Manufacturing companies based in Santiago
Chilean brands
Chilean companies established in 1984