Here's a brief history of aircraft research and development in outline form. This was published in The Aero Engineer, December 2006. This needs to be updated though.
IST/PAF
ARDA XL-15 Tagak
Brief
Outline of the History of Local Aircraft Research, Development and Manufacture
in the Philippines
By Engr.
Ernesto B. Ferreras Jr.
February 21, 1911 – First flight of Skylark,
the first aircraft to conquer the Philippine
skies.
Skylark
First Period:
1938 – 1949
Began
with the birth of the local aviation industry in 1931, with the start of the
operation of two local air transport companies – Philippine Aerial Transport
Taxi Co. and Iloilo-Negros Air Express Co.
Dominant
player was Feati University.
1938 – Flight of Snipe light aircraft, the
first Filipino aircraft, designed and built by Dr.
Gregorio Zara.
1948 – Flight of the first locally
designed glider, built by Feati University.
1949 – Feati completed an all-wood sports
airplane.
Second Period:
1951 – 1956
Key
players were Institute of Science and Technology and Philippine Air Force. They
began a collaboration that resulted into several X series of experimental
aircraft.
1951 – The Institute of Science and
Technology (IST) implemented Commonwealth Act
168.
1953 – Flight of XL-14 Maya, designed by
Antonio de Leon, an aeronautical engineer.
IST/PAF ARDA XL-14 Maya
Flight
of the XL-10B Balang (Grasshopper) powered glider, a joint project of
IST and Philippine Air Force (PAF) Air Research and
Development Authority
(ARDA).
October 1954 – Flight of the XL-15
Tagak (Heron).
IST/PAF
ARDA XL-15 Tagak
1956 – Completion of the XL-17 Musang (Wildcat)
sports plane and light trainer; never
flown.
IST/PAF ARDA XL-17 Musang
Third Period:
1973 – 1976
January 15, 1973 – PAF reactivated ARDA
into Self-Reliance Development Wing
(SRDW), subsequently called Air Force Research and
Development Center (AFRDC).
September 10, 1973 – Philippine Aerospace
Development Corporation (PADC) was
established by virtue of PD 286.
1974 – PADC started assembling BO-105
helicopters and BN Islanders in agreement
with Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) of Germany and
Fairey Britten-Norman
(FBN) of England, respectively.
PADC-assembled BO-105
PADC-assembled BN-Islander
October 1974 – Flight of Glider I,
designed and built by AFRDC.
May 1975 – Flight of Glider II.
May 21, 1975 – Flight of the XT-001
Marko I light trainer, designed and built by
AFRDC.
AFRDC XT-001 Marko
February 1976 – Flight of Glider III.
May 2, 1976 – Flight of the first
Hovercraft, by AFRDC.
Fourth Period:
1976 – 1991
November 8, 1976 – The Philippine
government bought the Super Pinto (Cali)
prototype, including design and manufacturing rights.
1978 – Flight of the modified L-4J Piper
Cub, assembled by PATTS College of Aeronautics, using 100% alcogas as fuel.
1981 – The PAF decided to replace T-33As
and T-28Ds.
1984 – The PAF recommended purchase of
SIAI Marchetti S211 jet aircraft and SF 260
Turboprop Warriors as replacement for its ageing fleet.
February 22, 1988 – First flight of the
Defiant 300, designed and built by Gold Wings
Aviation.
Gold Wings Defiant 300
1988 – Flight of Lancair 320, assembled in
the Philippines by Aviation Composite
Technology (ACT) in a venture with Aerotech S.A. of
Switzerland.
May 1988 – Flight of RPX-25, modified version
of L-4J, built by PATTS College of
Aeronautics.
PATTS-modified RP-X25 L-4J
1990 – Flight of Skyfox (RPX-44), the
Philippine version of Kitfox, assembled by the
Philippine Aircraft Company, Inc. (PACI) in agreement
with Denney Aerocraft of
the U.S.A.
PACI RP-X44 Skyfox
1990 – PADC started assembling S 211s,
followed by SF 260 TPWs and SF 600
Canguro in agreement with SIAI Marchetti of Italy.
PADC-assembled S211 jet
PAF AFRDC-modified SF-260 TP
1990 – Prime Parts Fabricators &
Development Corporation (PPFDC) built prototypes of
P-2000 Hovercraft with technical expertise from foreign
hovercraft companies
and the Hovercraft Prototyping Project Team of the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
1991 – Pacific Aeronautical, the new name
of ACT relocated to Cebu City started
producing airframes for Lancair 320 and Lancair IV, the
new higher-powered,
four-seat version.
1991 – PADC started assembling Lancair IVs
and Lancair ESs ordered by the Philippine
National Police (PNP).
Fifth Period:
1996 – Present
1996 – Aircraft Research and Development
(ARD) 2000 Project was set up and
completed a project feasibility study on the possibility
of manufacturing a 9-
seater utility aircraft.
ARD 2000
May 8, 1998 – Flight of the
Hummingbird, the first Filipino-built helicopter prototype,
designed and built by PADC. PADC also designed and
assembled Centennial
(RPX-100); never flown.
PADC RP-X100 Centennial
Funding lang talaga and the WILL of those in govt. which stops us. Producing a cheap, low performance Multi-Role Fighter may not stand a chance against the big Boys (F18, J10, j20, MIGs, F22, F16, Typhoon, eurofighter, Mirage, F35, JAS39, etc, but if built in sheer numbers can overwhelm any Airforce. Take for example, WWII Germany, it built a particular Fighter numbering well above 30,000 fighters! To defeat long range detection by enemy aircraft, using advance AUVs with powerful radars may be an option to relay position of incoming enemy aircraft to our low profile MRFs. The MRFs should be armed with long range missiles though, to match the enemy. Dogfights with visual range, will even the field at some point, to even the fighting field. Then there is a chance a high-tech airforce could be defeated by sheer numbers.
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