The Promavia F.1300 Jet Squalus, also known as Promavia Jet Squalus F1300, was a two-seat light jet trainer designed by Italian
Stelio Frati
Stelio Frati (born in Milan Italy in 1919, died 14 May 2010) was an Italian mechanical engineer and aeroplane designer. He graduated from the Politecnico of Milan as a mechanical engineer in 1943, participating in the design of the Aeronautica Lom ...
and built by
Promavia in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
with support from the Belgian government.
Development
The Jet Squalus was designed by Frati and based on his earlier lightweight jet trainers the F.5 Trento and the F.400 Cobra. It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable landing gear. The Jet Squalus was powered by a
Garrett TFE109
The Garrett F109 (Company designation TFE109) was a small turbofan engine developed for the Fairchild T-46 by Garrett AiResearch. With the United States Air Force's cancellation of the T-46 program in 1986, further development of the engine ceas ...
turbofan with engine intakes in above the wing root. The prototype, registered ''I-SQAL'', first flew on 30 April 1987.
The aircraft was fitted with four underwing hard points for disposable stores to allow weapons training.
Operational history
With the demise of the similar
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, ...
Fairchild T-46
The Fairchild T-46 was an American light jet trainer aircraft of the 1980s. It was cancelled in 1986 with only three aircraft being produced.
Design and development
The United States Air Force (USAF) launched its Next Generation Trainer (NGT ...
trainer in 1986 the support for the engine disappeared and it was planned to re-engine with the
Williams-Rolls FJ44
The Williams FJ44 is a family of small, two-spool, turbofan engines produced by Williams International for the light business jet market. Until the recent boom in the very light jet market, the FJ44 was one of the smallest turbofans availabl ...
. The aircraft was exhibited at the
Farnborough Air Show
The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...
in September 1988, but the project folded and Promavia went bankrupt in 1998. An unflown second prototype was to be modified for airline pilot training, and the unfinished third prototype was to be pressurised.
Variants
;F1300 NGT:The baseline jet trainer version of the
Procaer Cobra
The Procaer Cobra was a two-seat turbojet powered light aircraft designed and built in Italy and flown in the early 1960s. Only one was completed.
Design and development
The Cobra was a cantilever low wing monoplane with a wooden structure co ...
lineage.
;F1300 AWS-MS/SAR:Proposed Maritime surveillance/search and rescue.
;F1300 AWS-R: Proposed Reconnaissance.
;F1300 AWS-W: Proposed Armament trainer or Police/Border defence.
;F1300 AWS-TT:Proposed Target tower.
Specifications
See also
References
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{{Frati aircraft
1980s Belgian military trainer aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined jet aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1987