IA 53 Mamboretá

The IA‑53 Mamboretá was a light utility aircraft developed in the early 1960s by the Fábrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) as part of a national effort to provide a domestically‑produced platform for civil and military training, liaison and agricultural tasks. Its design traced its roots to earlier French and German high‑wing monoplanes, but incorporated a simple all‑metal construction, a fixed tricycle landing gear and a modest 180‑horsepower Lycoming O‑360 engine that gave reliable performance at low cost. First flight took place on 15 March 1964, and a limited series of twenty‑four airframes were built before the program was curtailed by budget constraints and the availability of imported alternatives. Despite its short production run, the Mamboretá demonstrated the capability of Argentine industry to design, certify and manufacture a modern aircraft without foreign licence agreements. Pilots praised its forgiving handling, short‑field capability and easy maintenance, qualities that made it popular among flight schools and regional operators. The aircraft remains a symbol of Argentine technological independence and is remembered as a stepping stone that paved the way for later FAdeA projects such as the IA‑58 Pucará.