The Aerotec A-122 Uirapuru was a Brazilian military trainer aircraft. It was a low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

with tricycle

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

that accommodated the pilot and instructor side-by-side. It first flew on 2 June 1965.

Design and development

In October 1967, the

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

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 The Bolivian Air Force (BAF; or 'FAB') is the air force of Bolivia and branch of the Bolivian Armed Forces. History By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft ( Curtiss Hawk fighters, Curtiss T-32 Condor II and Junkers ...

ordered 36 examples in 1974, which flew until 1997, and in 1975 the

Paraguayan Air Force The Paraguayan Air Force () is a branch of the Armed Forces of Paraguay, in charge of the defense of Paraguay's skies. Its interim commander is Air Division General Julio Rubén Fullaondo Céspedes. Its headquarters are located in Ñu Guazu, Lu ...

bought eight 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 Most of them were withdrawn from service in 1992, replaced by the Enaer T-35 Pillán.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 Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

training. The problem was solved 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 ventral

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

under the rear

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

to correct the issue. In

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

interest by the airforce in an improved version led to the development of the Uirapuru II, later known as the A-132 Tangará.

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

; *

– 18 A-122A purchased in 1974. ; *

; *

– 14 aircraft (8 in 1975 and 6 in 1986) * Escuela Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil – 1 aircraft (early 70s)

Specifications (T-23)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * {{FAB aircraft designations Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft 1960s Brazilian military trainer aircraft 1960s Brazilian civil trainer aircraft Uirapuru Aircraft first flown in 1965 Single-engined piston aircraft Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear