The Directorate General for Research and Development of the Argentinian Air Force, together with Invap, carried out the first certification and integration flights of the airborne pod designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the IA-58 Pucará Fénix modernized by Fadea, Gonzalo Mary reports in InfoDefensa.
The first certification flights of the Technology Assessment Model (MET 1) of the pod ISR-Raxa were carried out in the first week of May. During the first flight, the aerodynamic and structural behavior of the aircraft and the pod were verified. During the second day, electromagnetic interference and compatibility (EMI/EMC), electrical loads in flight, ergonomics, vibrations and temperatures were evaluated. The first image acquisitions were made from a national industry SAR radar. The next step will be to check the radar in order to acquire information from it in the strip map mode for the generation of a Synthetic Aperture Radar image.The first ground tests were carried out by the staff of the Flight Test Center (CEV) and Invap in February. Then, they began to define and prepare the flight plans and integration of the pod with the IA-58 Pucará Fénix.
Argentina; Air Force testing indigenous ISR pod on Pucara attack aircraft