FMA IA 50 Guaraní II

The I.A. 50 Guaraní II was an Argentine utility aircraft designed at the DINFIA (successor to the "Instituto Aerotecnico" - AeroTechnical Institute) in the early 1960s.

History
A twin-engined light transport known as the Guaraní I was developed from the Huanquero and first flew on 6 February 1962. The design was a refined version of the Huanquero, keeping 20% of the structure and with an all-metal wing. The aircraft was further developed as the Guaruani II; the main difference was a single swept fin and a shortened rear fuselage. It also used the more powerful Turbomeca Bastan VIA turboprop. The fuselage was semi-monocoque with squared cross-section, and it had unswept wings and swept tailplanes. The prototype flew on 26 April 1963.

Operations
In June 1965 the Guarani II prototype (serial number TX-01) was exhibited and flown at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, France). TX-01 was later flown to the CEV (“Centre d’Essays en Vol”, Air Test Centre) at Istres, France, for technical evaluation, where it was tested for a total of 200 flying hours.  It was flown back to the FMA, Argentina in February 1966, being the first Latin American built aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Retirement from service
The last flying example, retired in 2006 at the II Brigada Aérea (IInd Air Brigade), at Paraná, Entre Rios, Argentina, is currently preserved at the National Aeronautics Museum ("Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica") of the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina), at Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Users

 * Argentine Air Force
 * Argentine Federal Police
 * Argentine Navy
 * Argentine Naval Aviation
 * Servicio Penitenciario Federal
 * Líneas Aéreas Provinciales de Entre Ríos
 * Gobierno de Córdoba
 * Gobierno de Salta
 * Ministerio de Bienestar Nacional