OGMA – Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal S.A. is a Portuguese aerospace company focused on
aircraft maintenance and
manufacturing.
History
OGMA was founded as part of the reorganisation of the
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...
's Aeronautic Service on June 29, 1918, under the name Parque de Material Aeronáutico (Aeronautics Material Depot), and was responsible for storing, repairing, manufacturing, and providing aeronautical material. In addition, OGMA provided training to military aeronautics personnel. Ten years later it was renamed Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico (General Workshops of Aeronautical Material). In 1994, the company was renamed OGMA - Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal S.A.
OGMA began manufacturing the
Caudron G-3 aircraft in 1922. This was followed by the manufacture, under English license, of the
Vickers Valparaiso in 1933, the
Avro 626 and
de Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
aircraft in 1938, and the construction of 66
DHC-1 Chipmunks in 1952. Three years later, OGMA sign its first contract with the
United States Navy. In 1959, it signed a contract with the
US Air Force. In 1972, OGMA signed a manufacturing contract with
Eurocopter Group
Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located at Marseille Provence Ai ...
. Throughout the 1970s, the company performed maintenance on
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
,
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.[F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...]
aircraft belonging to the
Portuguese Air Force
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. In 2004, OGMA was privatised, and its ownership distributed between
Embraer
Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where i ...
and
EMPORDEF.
On July 10, 2006, OGMA inaugurated the Executive Jets Center, created to improve the maintenance services of the Embraer
Legacy 600
The Embraer Legacy 600 is a business jet derivative of the Embraer ERJ 145 family of commercial jet aircraft.
Design and development
The Legacy 600 (market designation adopted after 2005) is based on the ERJ-135 model. It was launched in 2000 ...
and future business jets developed by Embraer. Since 2013, OGMA has been involved in the Embraer
KC-390's development program, including central fuselage manufacturing,
fairing, metallic alloys, composite materials and
elevons. OGMA participated in the initial phase of the aircraft's development and assumed responsibility for
supply chain
In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, acti ...
development and management, primarily relying upon Portuguese companies.
In 2016, OGMA recorded a sales volume of 195.4 million Euros and a profit of 10.1 million Euros. In 2019, the company appointed Alexandre Solis as Chief Executive Officer. In 2017, aircraft
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 ...
services accounted for about 70% of OGMA's total business volume. , OGMA serviced approximately 40 clients from 70 countries.
OGMA was criticised in 2020 by the Portuguese
for faulty maintenance work that led to severe flight control problems with
Air Astana Flight 1388
Air Astana Flight 1388 was a repositioning flight from Lisbon to Almaty, with a refueling stopover at Minsk. On 11 November 2018, shortly after takeoff it suffered severe control issues. After 90 minutes it landed safely at Beja Airbase, with no ...
in 2018. The investigation found that insufficient
quality assurance
Quality assurance (QA) is the term used in both manufacturing and service industries to describe the systematic efforts taken to ensure that the product(s) delivered to customer(s) meet with the contractual and other agreed upon performance, design ...
, oversight and management at OGMA contributed to the severe technical problems suffered by the aircraft in flight.
OGMA is responsible for the fabrication of several parts for the
Embraer C-390 Millennium
The Embraer C-390 Millennium is a medium-size, twin-engine, jet-powered military transport aircraft designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. It is the heaviest aircraft the company has constructed to date.
Work on ...
, including the center
fuselage, the fabrication and assembly of the right and left
sponsons, and the depth rudders. It is also responsible for the assembly of various standard
NATO equipment for the
Portuguese Air Force
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C-390s.
Facilities
OGMA is located in
Alverca
Alverca do Ribatejo () is a city (''cidade'') and a former civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Alverca do Ribatejo e Sobralinho.
It covers an area of and had a pop ...
, in the Alverca Aeronautical Park, approximately north east of
Lisbon International Airport
Humberto Delgado Airport , informally Lisbon Airport and formally Portela Airport, is an international airport located northeast of the city centre of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The airport is the main international gateway to Portugal. ...
.
Its facilities occupy , of which are covered facilities. The location also includes a runway and a control tower.
Its facilities comprise 11 hangars for civil and military aircraft maintenance, manufacturing and testing.
References
Bibliography
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Aerospace companies of Portugal
Manufacturing companies established in 1918
Government-owned companies of Portugal
Portuguese brands
Airbus joint ventures
Embraer
Manufacturing plants in Portugal
Portuguese companies established in 1918
Defence companies of Portugal
Aircraft maintenance companies