FIAR S.p.A. (Fabbrica Italiana Apparecchiature Radioelettriche) was an Italian
avionics
Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...
and
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
manufacturer; the
Eurofighter
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leo ...
's current radar contains its technology.
History
It was formed on 31 July 1941, as a spin off from
Compagnia Generale di Elettricità
The Compagnia Generale di Elettricità S.p.A. (General Electric Power Company) was an Italian joint-stock company founded in 1921 in Milan. The company was widely know in Italy as simple acronym CGE, it was primarily owned and managed by General E ...
(CGE), and also known as CGE-FIAR. It made repeater transmitters for
RAI
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
(Radiotelevisione italiana), the national broadcasting company of Italy.
In the 1980s it formed the ELIRADAR consortium with SMA (
Stato maggiore dell'Aeronautica Militare). It was a prime contractor for some avionics in the
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (inter ...
; Italy took a 15% share in the
Panavia Aircraft project and planned to buy 100 of the aircraft.
Up until the late 1980s, it had only produced radars built
under licence. The first radar that it developed itself was the Grifo. The company was Italy's leading manufacturer of radar and
infrared homing
Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...
technology, notably for the
MIM-23 Hawk
The Raytheon MIM-23 HAWK ("Homing all the way killer") is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a much more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much sm ...
missile. It made airborne and
precision approach radar
Precision approach radar (PAR) is a type of radar guidance system designed to provide lateral and vertical guidance to an aircraft pilot for landing, until the landing threshold is reached. Controllers monitoring the PAR displays observe each airc ...
.
Ownership
It was a division of
Alenia Aeronautica
Alenia Aeronautica was an Italian aerospace company. Its subsidiaries included Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali.
Alenia Aeronautica was also the part-owner of ATR, a joint venture with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).
...
(
Alenia Difesa Alenia may refer to:
Companies
* Alenia Aermacchi, an Italian aeronautics company, founded in 2012
* Alenia Aeronautica, a former Italian aeronautics company, founded in 1990 and merged into Alenia Aermacchi
* Alenia Marconi Systems
Alenia Marc ...
from 1994 to 2001), later bought by Finmeccanica.
Products
Radar systems
* CRESO ground surveillance radar
* ECR-90 (
Euroradar CAPTOR
The Euroradar Captor is a next-generation mechanical multi-mode pulse Doppler radar designed for the Eurofighter Typhoon. Development of Captor led to the Airborne Multirole Solid State Active Array Radar (AMSAR) project which eventually produ ...
), for the Eurofighter, contains the Grifo technology
* ELIRADAR APS-784, equips the
AgustaWestland AW101
The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirement ...
*
EuroFIRST PIRATE The EuroFirst Passive Infrared Airborne Track Equipment (PIRATE) is the Forward looking infrared (FLIR) / Infra-red search and track (IRST) for the Eurofighter Typhoon. It is produced by the EuroFIRST consortium consisting of Leonardo S.p.A. of Ital ...
(Passive Infrared Airborne Tracking Equipment, infrared homing for the Eurofighter)
* Grifetto
* Grifo (
X band
The X band is the designation for a band of frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is rather indefinitely set at approxim ...
)
* Pointer
* Setter,
look down radar (named after the
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
)
Structure
It was headquartered in
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
in north-west Italy,
Flight International January 1973
/ref> with a factory in Baranzate
Baranzate (Milanese: ), formerly a ''frazione'' of the neighboring comune of Bollate, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan, in the Italian region of Lombardy, about northwest of Milan. It was created in 2004 after its ...
near Bollate
Bollate (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan.
As of 30 November 2017, it had a population of 36,488.
Bollate borders the following muni ...
on the SP 233.
See also
* Microtecnica
Microtecnica S.r.l. is a main Italian aircraft component company (hydraulics), now owned by UTC of America.
History
The company was founded in 1929. It supplies equipment for helicopters and regional jet aircraft, such as the AgustaWestland AW1 ...
, former Italian avionics company
References
{{reflist
Italian companies established in 1941
Italian companies disestablished in 2003
Aircraft component manufacturers of Italy
Alenia Aeronautica
Companies based in Lombardy
Defunct manufacturing companies of Italy
Electronics companies established in 1941
Electronics companies disestablished in 2003
Radar manufacturers
Electronics companies of Italy