Aerotec Uirapuru

The Aerotec A-122 Uirapuru was a Brazilian military trainer aircraft. It was a low-wing monoplane with tricycle undercarriage that accommodated the pilot and instructor side-by-side. It first flew on 2 June 1965.

In October 1967, the Brazilian Air Force ordered 30 aircraft to replace the obsolete Fokker S.11s and S.12s (T-21s and T-22s) that were operating in the Air Force Academy. Later, they ordered another 40, and then 30 more. These were designated T-23.

The Bolivian Air Force ordered 36 examples in 1974, which flew until 1997, and in 1975 the Paraguayan Air Force bought 8 aircraft to replace the Fokker T-21 (S.11). In 1986, six more were donated by the FAB. Most of them were withdrawn from service in 1992, replaced by the Enaer T-35 Pillán. As of 2009, only one T-23 is in flying conditions. Thirty others were sold in the civilian market. A total of 155 were built including prototypes by the time production finished in 1977.

The T-23 suffered fatal accidents during spin training. The problem was resolved after a crash in which an instructor described his stricken aircraft's responses to his control inputs all the way to the end. Uirapurus then received a fin under the rear fuselage to correct the issue.

In 1980 interest by the airforce in an improved version led to the development of the Uirapuru II.

Variants

 * A-122A Uirapuru - T-23 - Military trainer
 * A-122B Uirapuru - Civil version
 * A-122C Uirapuru - T-23C
 * A-132 Uirapuru II - enlarged version with improved canopy and larger vertical tail surfaces.

Operators

 * Brazilian Air Force
 * Bolivian Air Force
 * Paraguayan Air Force -  14 aircraft (8 in 1975 and 6 in 1986)
 * Escuela Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil -  1 aircraft (early 70s)
 * Paraguayan Air Force -  14 aircraft (8 in 1975 and 6 in 1986)
 * Escuela Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil -  1 aircraft (early 70s)
 * Escuela Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil -  1 aircraft (early 70s)