Argentina took a significant step in recovering its strategic industrial capacity by once again having a nationally manufactured aircraft. This is the IA-100B, a training aircraft designed and produced entirely in the country by Fábrica Argentina de Aviones "Brigadier San Martín" (Fadea), based in Córdoba, under specific requirements from the Argentine Air Force and with both military and civilian projection.
According to an official statement released by Fadea, the company is moving forward with the IA-100B certification process, which has already accumulated 20 hours of test flights. That performance, they indicated, "reaffirms Fadea's positioning as a strategic player in the regional aeronautical industry", in a context in which the national government is promoting a revaluation of the role of defense, production, and technology as pillars of development.
The president of the factory, Julio Manco, emphasized the symbolic and concrete value of the project: "It is a source of pride for Argentina to once again have a nationally manufactured aircraft after so many years." He added: "It is a concrete demonstration of what we are capable of doing. Even in difficult times, the talent and commitment of our people materialize in real achievements."
Manco also revealed that the IA-100B has already sparked interest outside the country. "We have declarations of interest from countries such as Paraguay and Uruguay, and advanced conversations with others", he stated. In that regard, he attributed the progress of the program to "the trust and support" of the then Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, and President Javier Milei, whose administration seeks to reorganize the sector with criteria of efficiency, openness to the market, and export-oriented projection.
The IA-100B is a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft, with optimized aerodynamic design, a structure built entirely from composite materials with pre-impregnated technology, a glazed cockpit with digital avionics (glass cockpit), retractable landing gear, low cost per flight hour, and high maneuverability. These characteristics make it a modern and efficient platform for the initial and aerobatic training of military pilots.
