Construcciones Aeronauticas Sociedad Anonima (CASA)

[gekho]

EADS-CASA is a Spanish aircraft manufacturer, previously Construcciones Aeronáuticas, S.A. (CASA). It has been the Spanish branch of EADS since 1999. CASA was a Spanish aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark military transport aircraft designs such as the CASA C-212 Aviocar, CASA C-295 or the CASA C-101 trainer/ground attack aircraft.

After the war, CASA opened a new plant in Tablada, Seville, after obtaining from Germany various aircraft licenses, and built 25 Gotha Go-145A as the CASA C-1145, 25 Bücker Bü-133 Jungmeister as the CASA C-1133 and 555 Bücker Bü-131 Jungmann as the CASA 1131. Production of these German aircraft designs continued even after the end of World War two until the late fifties. It should be noted that the CASA C-201, a twin engine transport, engines were Spanish made ENMASA VAT Tigre G-125 engine. In 1940 CASA began the licensed manufacture of 200 Heinkel He 111s twin engine bomber as CASA C-2111. (These are the aircraft that were used as World War Two German Luftwaffe He-111s, that have been seen in various movies like "The Battle of Britain" and "Patton".)

Starting in 1943 the Spanish government began investing in CASA, with government first otaining a 33% share, and by 1992 this had increased to a controlling 99.2% interest in the company. In 1945 CASA opened a factory in Madrid dedicated to manufacturing of parts and sub-assemblies of their various aircraft and those that they had contracts to repair and overhaul. In 1946 CASA re-established the Projects Office and resumed the design of aircraft based on the firm's proprietary technology. In 1957 CASA won the contract from the United States Air Force for the maintenance of the F-100 Super Sabres based in Europe and Turkey and a contract from the Spanish Air Force to overhaul T-33s in the Spanish Air Force.

In 1962 CASA began the manufacture of the Northrop F-5A fighter-bomber under license. In 1971 CASA merged with the other large aerospace firm Hispano, SA. In 1972 Spain and CASA became one of the original members of the Airbus Consortium together with France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In 1977 CASA was awarded the contract to design and build the C-101 a trainer and attack aircraft for Spanish Air Force. In 1996 CASA joins Eurofighter 2000 project. And in 2008 EADS-CASA plant in Seville was designated by Airbus Military as the assembly plant for the future Airbus A400M heavy transport. After many delays and threats of cancellation, on December 11, 2009, the A400M first flight took place.

Since 1999 CASA has been a part of EADS, the European aerospace corporation, with Aérospatiale-Matra of France, Dornier GmbH and DASA of Germany. Since then, the Spanish branch of EADS is called EADS-CASA. The current CEO and Chairman of EADS-CASA is Domingo Ureña-Raso. Currently EADS-CASA employs around 7,500 workers.

On July 2001 EADS-CASA Military Aircraft marked the beginning of the Eurofighter Typhoon Final Assembly Phase at Getafe facilities. It is one of 4 assembly lines for the Eurofighter (the other 3 lines are at Warton in United Kingdom, Manching in Germany and Turin in Italy). Production was expected to be up to 7 wings per month and 12 aircraft per year. EADS CASA is producing the right wing for the Eurofighter and assembling 87 aircraft for the Spanish Air Force. First delivery to the Spanish Air Force was realized together with the other partner air forces in the second half of 2002. EADS was formed in July, 2000 following the merger of Aerospatiale Matra of France, DaimlerChrysler from Germany and Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A. from Spain. EADS is the third largest aerospace company in the world. It has approximately 100,000 employees.

 

[gekho]

During the civil war the licenced production of the Junkers Ju 52/3m from Germany begins as CASA 352, whose production still many years should keep running.There are two versions of this aircraft;

- C-352: Post-war Spanish version, 106 built.
- C-352 L: Spanish version with Spanish ENMA (ex-Elizalde) Beta B-4 engines, 64 built.

The last C-352 was retired in 1974, being sento to the Cuatro Vientos Museum. Four CASA 352s are airworthy and in regular use today.


I have attached a ZIP file where you can find some pictures of this aricraft. Enjoy it.

 

[gekho]

The CASA 2.111 was a medium bomber derived from the Heinkel He 111 and produced in Spain under license by Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A.. The 2.111 models differed significantly from Heinkel's original design, featuring heavier armament and eventually Rolls Royce Merlin engines. During the Spanish Civil War, in 1937 the Spanish Air Force received a number of He 111Bs from Germany, which had begun to receive the improved He 111D model, receiving He 111Es following the end of the war. There was a need for more modern aircraft, however, so in 1940 CASA negotiated a contract with Heinkel to produce 200 examples of the newer He 111 H-16 in Seville. Setting up production was slow, with relatively little support received from Germany as World War II continued. Spain managed to locate a store of Jumo 211F-2 engines in France, and this allowed completion of 130 Jumo powered examples (although only 117 were delivered owing to the need of cannibalise engines). These were in three versions : the 2.111A, a medium bomber; the 2.111C, a reconnaissance bomber; and the 2.111F, a dual-control trainer.

The first Spanish built aircraft flew on 23 May 1945. Following the end of the war, access to the German-built Junkers engines became an issue, and CASA found an alternative with the Rolls-Royce Merlin 500. In 1953, 173 Merlin engines were ordered. The newly Merlin-powered bombers and reconnaissance bombers became the 2.111B and 2.111D, respectively; some were re-engined, while others were built new. A nine-passenger transport, the 2.111T8, was also developed and produced. Spanish 2.111s served into the late 1960s and, in the case of the transports, early 1970s. Many of the aircraft retired in the 1960s found second lives in movies such as Battle of Britain and Patton, due to the family resemblance with Heinkel He 111s. The CASA 2.111 were used in combat in the close air support role against Moroccans during the Ifni War in 1957-1958.

Approximately 14 Spanish licensed built CASA 2.111s survive today in various conditions on display or storage. One modified Spanish 2.111D served as a transport for Spanish VIPs, including General Francisco Franco, before being purchased in England by the Commemorative Air Force in 1977. It remained the last He 111 in flyable condition until 10 July 2003, when it was destroyed in a fatal crash landing. The aircraft was attempting a landing at the Cheyenne Municipal Airport, near Cheyenne, Wyoming, while en route from Midland, Texas to an air show in Missoula, Montana. Eyewitness reports indicate the aircraft lost power to one engine on final approach and ploughed through a chain link fence before colliding with a school bus washing building under construction. Killed were CAF pilot Neil R. Stamp and co-pilot Charles S. Bates.

I have attached a ZIP file where you can find some pictures of this aricraft. Enjoy it.

 

[gekho]

The C-201 was the result of an agreement between the Spanish government and manufacturer CASA to develop a transport aircraft for the military capable of carrying a payload of one tonne over a range of 1,000 km (620 miles). The design was a twin-engine low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration. The main units of the tailwheel undercarriage retracted into the engine nacelles, the aircraft looking somewhat like a scaled-down DC-3.

Two prototypes were constructed, the first of these taking to the air on 11 February 1949. An order for twelve pre-production aircraft and one hundred series aircraft was soon forthcoming. The pre-production machines were to demonstrate a range of different equipment fits for the airframe, enabling it for a variety of roles including personnel transport, training for bombing and photo-reconnaissance work, and instrument flying training. A number of engines were also to be evaluated, including the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah that had powered the prototypes, the Pratt Whitney R-1340, and the locally-produced ENMASA Sirio.

Eventually, it was the supply of powerplants and propellers that doomed the Alcotán. Spain's domestic engine industry was simply incapable of producing powerplants in sufficient quantity for the project, and Spain was unable to afford to import foreign engines. While the entire production run had been scheduled to be completed before 1955, the shortage of engines meant that by 1956, only eleven complete aircraft had been delivered, all that would ever be finished. In 1962, the project was finally cancelled without the engine problem ever having been resolved. By now, CASA had 96 complete airframes in storage awaiting powerplants. These were scrapped, the Spanish government compensating the manufacturer for the debacle.

 

[gekho]

The CASA C-207 Azor was a transport aircraft produced by CASA. It was a scaled-up version of the CASA C-202 Halcón and was designed for the domestic civil market. The C-207 received no civil orders, but the Spanish Air Force ordered 10. The first model, designated T.7A entered service in 1960. Ten more aircraft were ordered and configured for paratroop or cargo transport, designated CASA 207C (T.7B). The two prototypes and 20 production aircraft served in the military until the 1980s.

 

[gekho]

The fourteen-passenger all-metal airliner was developed for domestic transport, and two prototypes were ordered by the Spanish Aviation Ministry in November 1948. Delayed by the late delivery of the 775 hp ENMASA (Empresa National de Motores de Aviation, S.A.) Beta 9C-29-750 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, the first prototype flew in May 1952. In October 1953, an initial batch of production aircraft was authorized by the Spanish Aviation Ministry. The second prototype was configured as an eight-passenger executive transport, with a lengthened fuselage, large windows in the rear fuselage. Fitted with two 1,300 hp Wright Cyclone R-1820-56 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, and designated C-202B, it was first flown in 1956.

The engine shortage for the CASA C-201 also plagued the C-202, and in the event, only ten aircraft were produced (before the contract was cancelled in 1962, again without losses to CASA), and the ten aircraft went to the Spanish AF, designated T.6.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

great post gekho!!!

 

[gekho]

The EADS CASA C-212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium transport aircraft designed and built in Spain for civil and military use. C-212s are also produced under licence in Indonesia by Indonesian Aerospace, formerly called IPTN but now known as IAe. The design was initially marketed under the name of Aviocar, but EADS-CASA no longer uses that name in referring to the C-212.

A total of 478 C-212s of all variants had been delivered through the end of 2008 by EADS-CASA. EADS-CASA predicts that an additional 85 aircraft will be delivered in the 2007-2016 time period.[1] EADS-CASA currently builds only the C-212-400, which received Spanish certification in 1998. The C-212-200 is currently built in Indonesia, and IAe is also preparing to begin assembly of -400 models, probably in 2008. During the late 1960s, the Spanish Air Force was still operating the already outdated Junkers Ju 52 and Douglas C-47, unpressurized and non-turbocharged piston-powered three- or two-engined craft. CASA developed the C-212 as a more modern alternative using the lighter and more reliable turboprop engine, with the first prototype flying on March 26, 1971. In 1974, the Spanish Air Force decided to acquire the Aviocar to update its fleet.

Airlines took note of the type's success with the military, so CASA developed a commercial version, the first examples of which were delivered in July 1975. In August 2006 a total of 30 CASA C-212 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service around the world. The C-212 has a high-mounted wing, a boxy fuselage, and a conventional tail. The tricycle undercarriage is non retractable. It has space for 21-28 passengers depending on configuration. Since the C-212 does not have a pressurized fuselage, it is limited to relatively low-flight-level airline usage (below 10,000 ft (3,000 m) MSL). It is thus ideal for short legs and regional airline service.

In the EEUU the Aviocar is used by the Arctic Transportation Services, Bighorn Airways,Blackwater Security, ConocoPhillips/BP Shared Services, Bering Air, Murray Aviation and the USAF.

 

[gekho]

The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-turbo-prop aircraft developed jointly between CASA in Spain and IPTN in Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Amongst its military roles are maritime patrol, surveillance and troop transport. The largest user is Turkey which has a total of 61 aircraft.

The project was a joint venture between CASA and Indonesian manufacturer IPTN, which formed Airtech company to manage the programme. The partnership applied only to the Series 10 and Series 100/110, with later versions being developed independently. Over 230 of all versions of CN-235 are in service and have accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours. Design began in January 1980 with first flight on 11 November 1983. Spanish and Indonesian certification was on 20 June 1986; the first flight of the production aircraft was on 19 August 1986 and FAA type approval was granted on 3 December 1986. The aircraft entered service on 1 March 1988

In 1995, CASA launched development of a stretched CN-235 as the C-295. In December 2002, the Columbian Navy ordered two CN-235 for patrol and anti-drug trafficking missions. In April 2005, Venezuela ordered two CN-235 maritime surveillance aircraft and in January 2006, Thailand placed an order with Dirgantara for ten aircraft, six for the Ministry of Defence and four for the Ministry of Agriculture. In December 2007, Spain ordered two CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft for the Guardia Civil, for delivery 2008–2009. One CN-235 MPA aircraft was delivered by Dirgantara to the Indonesian defence ministry in June 2008.

The CN-235 was selected by the United States Coast Guard for its Medium Range Surveillance Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MRSMPA) program as the HC-144A .[1] The first HC-144A was delivered by EADS CASA to Lockheed Martin for installation of the mission package in December 2006.[2] The HC- 144A Ocean Sentry achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) on April 2, 2009. Eight aircraft were delivered as of July 1, 2009. In August 2006, three CASA CN-235-10 aircraft remain in airline service, in Africa, with Safair (two) and Tiko Air (one).[3] Asian Spirit operates a sole CN-235-220 in the Philippines, correct as of June/July 2007. The Irish Air Corps operates two CASA aircraft in the maritime patrol capacity.

There are at least two CN-235s operating with the United States Air Force for an undisclosed role with the 427th Special Operations Squadron, at the former Pope AFB, NC. In early July, The Mexican Navy announced they will order six CASA CN-235 from Spain.

 

[gekho]

The EADS CASA C-295 is a twin-turboprop tactical military transport aircraft and medium-range, narrowbody airliner manufactured by EADS-CASA in Spain. The C-295 is a further development of the commercially successful Spanish/Indonesian transport aircraft CASA CN-235 with a stretched fuselage, 50% more payload capability and new PW127G turboprop engines. The C-295 made its maiden flight in 1998. The first order came from the Spanish Air Force. The C-295 is used by several air forces and some 57 have already been delivered. The C-295 was also a major bidder for the US Army/US Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) awarded to the L-3 Communications/Alenia team on June 13, 2007. The C-295 was considered a higher risk by the Army due to its use of a new operational mode to meet altitude and range requirements. The C-295 is a candidate to replace the Canadian Forces's de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo.

 

[gekho]

The CASA C-101 Aviojet is a low-wing single engine jet-powered advanced trainer and light attack aircraft currently in use by several air forces. In Spanish Air Force service, it is also flown by the Patrulla Aguila aerobatics team.The aircraft was designed in response to a Spanish Air Force requirement in 1975 for a jet trainer to replace its aging fleet of Hispano HA-200s and Ha.220s. Like many European jet trainers, it was also to have a limited attack capability. CASA sought technical assistance from Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) and Northrop, the latter designing the wings. A design along largely conventional lines was the result, the only surprising feature being a large internal weapons bay beneath the rear cockpit, allowing for a wider variety of armament to be carried than the underwing pylons alone would allow. Alternatively, this bay can be used to carry reconnaissance equipment. The aircraft is designed in a modular fashion to ease manufacturing and maintenance, and enjoys a great range since its initial requirement called for autodeployment to the Canary Islands from the Spanish mainland.

Although the first flight took place on June 29, 1977, test flights did not begin until April 17, 1978. Performance was found to be better than anticipated by the designers. An initial Spanish Air Force order for 92 machines was placed, a dedicated trainer version designated C-101EB-01 by CASA and E.25 Mirlo ("Blackbird") by the air force. The first aircraft entered service on March 17, 1980. This was followed in production by a combination attack/trainer with an uprated engine designated C-101BB-02 bought by Honduras, which bought four, and Chile, which bought four aircraft and parts for another eight to be assembled locally by ENAER. All Chilean BB-02s are designated T-36 Halcón.

In 1983, CASA flew a dedicated attack version, the C-101CC-02, which was again ordered by Chile. This time, only the prototype was built in Spain, with the remaining 22 machines built by ENAER. This variant features yet another engine upgrade and increased fuel capacity and is designated A-36 Halcón ("Falcon"). Sixteen similar aircraft, the C-101CC-04 were sold to Jordan. The final version of the C-101, the C-101DD was demonstrated by CASA in 1985, featuring vastly improved avionics and the capability to carry the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, but failed to attract any orders. In the 1990s the armament system was modernized.