IAI Arava

The Israeli Aircraft Industries Arava is a light STOL utility transport aircraft built in Israel by IAI in the late 1960s.

The Arava was IAI's first major aircraft design to enter production. It was intended both for the military and civil market, but the aircraft was only built in relatively small numbers. The customers were found mainly in third world countries, especially in Central and South America as well as Swaziland and Thailand.

The design work on the Arava began in 1965, and the design objectives included STOL performance, the ability to operate from rough strips and carry 20 passengers or bulky payloads. To achieve this, the Arava design was of a relatively unusual configuration.



The Arava's fuselage was barrel-like, short but wide, and the rear of the fuselage was hinged and could swing open for easy loading and unloading. Its wing span was long and the twin tails were mounted on booms that ran from the engine nacelles. It was fitted with a fixed nosewheel undercarriage to save weight, while the chosen powerplant was two 715 eshp (533 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turboprops.

The first prototype Arava made its maiden flight on November 27, 1969. The second prototype was destroyed when a wing strut experienced flutter and failed during flight testing on November 19, 1970. The third prototype flew for the first time on May 8, 1971. Three planes were commandeered for use by Squadron 122 in the Yom Kippur War, but were returned afterwards. The Israeli Air Force would not purchase the plane until 1983, when nine planes were bought. Production ended in 1988. 103 aircraft were produced, including 70 for the military market. The IAF decided in 2004 to retire the plane. It is still in operation in some countries.

Variants

 * IAI 101 - civil-transport version
 * IAI 102 - civil passenger aircraft for up to 20 people in airline-standard configuration or up to 12 passengers in VIP configuration
 * IAI 102B - civil transport version
 * IAI 201 - military transport version
 * IAI 202 - modified, longer version with modified wings

The military version could also be equipped with a range of weapons, in order to act in anti-submarine- or gunship roles. The weapon configuration could include two machine guns in fuselage side packs (usually 0.5" Browning), plus a third gun on the rear fuselage, and two pods containing 6 x 82 mm rocket pods or torpedoes or sonar buoys on the fuselage sides.

Another less known military version is the 202B Electronic warfare model. This vesrion was made in small numbers, and had distinct large radomes at the front and back ends of the main body. The radomes contained the Electronic warfare mission systems.

Operators

 * Gobierno de Tierra Del Fuego - Dirección Provincial de Aeronáutica
 * Bolivian Air Force
 * Cameroon Air Force
 * Colombian Air Force - Only one in operation, FAC1952.
 * Ecuadorian Army
 * Ecuadorian Navy - Former operator.
 * Air Force of El Salvador
 * Guatemalan Air Force
 * Armed Forces of Haiti
 * Honduran Air Force
 * Israeli Air Force
 * Armed Forces of Liberia
 * Mexican Air Force
 * National Guard (Nicaragua)
 * Nicaraguan Air Force
 * Papua New Guinea Defence Force
 * Military of Swaziland
 * Royal Thai Air Force
 * Army of Venezuela
 * Venezuelan National Guard
 * Venezuelan Navy - Former operator.
 * Armed Forces of Liberia
 * Mexican Air Force
 * National Guard (Nicaragua)
 * Nicaraguan Air Force
 * Papua New Guinea Defence Force
 * Military of Swaziland
 * Royal Thai Air Force
 * Army of Venezuela
 * Venezuelan National Guard
 * Venezuelan Navy - Former operator.
 * Military of Swaziland
 * Royal Thai Air Force
 * Army of Venezuela
 * Venezuelan National Guard
 * Venezuelan Navy - Former operator.
 * Venezuelan National Guard
 * Venezuelan Navy - Former operator.