ENAER A-36 Toquí - Attack aircraft built and improved in Chile

[Chilean_Thunder]

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ENAER A-36 Toquí

History:

In 1980 an agreement was reached with CASA of Spain where Chile ordered the purchase of 16 C-101BB of which 4 were assembled in Spain and the rest at ENAER in Chile. The first example assembled in Chile was delivered in 1981 and was named T-36BB Halcón by the Chilean Air Force. The C-101BB Halcón version was assembled in Chile, which had a more powerful engine with 3,700 pounds of thrust.

Assembly of one of the first T-36 at ENAER, in the '80s

Subsequently, the Chilean Air Force requested CASA for an improved version of the aircraft, which resulted in the C-101CC with a new Garrett TFE731-5-1J engine with 4,300 pounds of thrust that increased the maximum speed to 830 km/h, a pod with a 30 mm DEFA 553 cannon was also installed in the belly of the plane. The first prototype flew in 1983 and in 1984 the FACH ordered the purchase of the second aircraft now named by CASA as C-101CC-02 and A-36 Halcón by the FACH, 22 more of these aircraft were purchased and produced locally in Chile. In 1986 ENAER delivered the first of these aircraft.

Both the T-36 and A-36 were delivered to the FACH with UHF communications equipment Magnavox AN/ARC-164, VHF Collins 21B, VOR ILS Collins VIR-3IA, Collins DME-40, Collins ADF-60, Andrea intercoms AN/AIC-18, IFF/SIF Teledyne/CASA AN/APX-IOI, Sperry ZC-222 flight director, Sperry AS-339 horizon, ADI-500C, RD-550A HSI and Avimo RGS2 sight on both posts and system CASA SCAR-81 weapons control, and received a pointed nose to install a firing radar.

The new A-36 Halcón showing some of the weapons it could carry and the new pointed nose

During 1986, the British Aerospace Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles were also tested, but due to the lack of an adequate radar, interest in this project was lost and it was finally abandoned.

Tests with the Sea Eagle missile, this version of the plane was called A-36M

For those years the A-36 Halcón could carry various weapons in its 6 underwing stations, bombs of all types and sizes, rockets and the aforementioned 30 mm cannon pod.

The A-36 Halcón 413 and 414 during FIDA 88, are seen showing the various weapons they used, including general purpose bombs, Chilean cluster bombs, snake eye bombs and rockets.

In 1996 in Chile, the new modernization of the A-36 Halcón began, with the implementation of HOTAS for the pilot, integration of a navigation system and a SAGEM brand attack system, for the planning of flight missions and weapons management, the adoption of the Ferranti brand HUD for the presentation of data in the Head-Up Display, a Toqui telemetric radar of national design and other systems, in addition to the ability to launch Rafael Shafrir II air-to-air missiles. The cost of the modernization was 1 million dollars per plane. The integration of the national Toquí radar was what would give the new name to this improved version in Chile, finally becoming called A-36 Toquí, although it is also called A-36 Halcón II. The new version was officially presented at the ENAER facilities on November 26, 1997.

A-36 Toquí carrying the Israeli Shafrir II missile

Two A-36 Toquí in flight in 2010 over the Atacama desert

Finally, all A-36 Toquí were withdrawn from service in 2022 after several years of service, and were replaced by the Brazilian A-29B Super Tucano.

Trailer of the A-36 Toquí in DCS, you can see the cockpit well

Specifications:

• Crew:
  • 2
• Armament:
  • Primary: 1x DEFA 553 30 mm cannon and 130 shots in a gondola located in the ventral part of the aircraft
  • Secondary: Warload - 2250 kg in 6 hardpoints:
    • Bombs: Mk.81/82/83/84 bombs, SAMP 250 kg, CB-250-K/CB-500-K cluster bombs, snake eye bombs
    • Rockets: LAU-10 with 4 Zuni rockets, LAU-3/A with 19 FFAAR mighty mouse rockets, 68mm SNEB rocket pods
    • Missiles: 2x Shafrir II, Anti-ship missile Sea Eagle.
  • Additional systems: HOTAS, Navigation system and another attack system brand SAGEM, HUD of the Ferranti brand, Small rangefinder radar, Toqui telemetric radar.
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 12.50 m
  • Wingspan: 10.6 m
  • Height: 4.25 m
  • Wings area: 20.00 m²
  • Weight empty: 3500 kg
  • Weight normal take-off: 5000 kg
  • Weight maximum take-off: 6300 kg
  • Weight Internal fuel: 1822 kg
• Performance:
  • Powerplant: 1 TJE Garrett TFE731-5-1J, 4,300-pound-thrust
  • Maximum speed: in altitude 830 km/h, on sea level 769 km/h
  • Cruising speed: 656 km/h
  • Range: 3706 km
  • Combat radius: 370-964 km
  • Rate of climb: 1859 m/min
  • Service ceiling: 12800 m
  • Maximum overload: 7.5

CARDOEN CLUSTER BOMBS

Photos:

Sources:

• Pucará magazine number 17
• La Fuerza Aérea de Chile desactiva al avión de combate A-36 Toqui
• T-36 Halcón / A-36 Halcon
• Amazon.com
• https://www.defensa.com/chile/adios-t-36-halcon-fuerza-aerea-chile

[StormLead]

I see a problem with how the A-36 would be implemented, because it has the performance of an entry-level jet (Tier V) but has Tier VI-VII missile capabilities. Solutions to this would be either eliminating the A2A Missile capabilities for the game or putting it at a high BR, something I’m not sure would be good.

Now, I would play this even if it didn’t get missiles. I saw this for the first time at last year’s military parade and inmediately fell in love with it LOL.

…I know this is a plane that fits the Ground Battles meta the best, but we all know how the game works after all

+1

[dejece_001]

I wonder when they are going to add cluster munition.
The booms are made in Zaragoza (Spain)

[Chilean_Thunder]

What BR would you give him? I would like to know your opinion

[Chilean_Thunder]

I wonder the same thing, almost all Chilean planes from before the 2000s used powerful cluster bombs made by Cardoen here in Chile

[StormLead]

Based on performance, either 7.0 or 7.3. Although a bit slower than most fighters at the BR, it looks like its climb rate (and probably low-speed acceleration) is above average. It would still be used as an attack bomber though. It’s similar to that Sweedish attacker that is seen at these BR brackets, forgot the name

If you consider the A2A missiles though, that’s getting into A-10 and Su-25 grounds. And I wouldn’t play it with much enthusiasm if that is the case.

[Chilean_Thunder]

I was thinking of something like the BR 9.0 since it is similar in speed to the Mig-15 of the BR 8.3, only the A-36 Toquí is much better in almost every way, the only advantage of the Mig-15 would be that it has a little more in maximum speed, but the Toquí beats it by far in weapons, fuel and rate of climb are almost equal. the Mig-15 reaches 1015 km/h while the Toquí 834 km/h is not an abysmal difference either.

Here is a comparison table:

[StormLead]

I still think 830 km/h is too slow for 9.0 or anything over 8.0 in general. Again, if you want it to be something like the A-10 or Su-25 then yes, but then the performance of the plane itself wont be anything competitive against enemy aircraft except the A-10s and Su-25s

[foxtrot19673]

tbh this aircraft could be good in game at like 9.0-8.7 however the thing that would kill it if added would be the magic 2s, those missiles single handedly would make the plane +10.7, since idk if it can carry flares, if the plane is only added with like shaf 2s then it would be good at like 9.0-8.7 magic2s would hurt it more than help it in this scenario

[Chilean_Thunder]

Some photos I took of the T-36 Halcón (training version of the A-36 Toquí) in the Chilean aeronautical museum where you can see its details and its characteristic insignia, aesthetically it is practically identical to the A-36 Toquí so the images They can give a lot of information.

https://i.imgur.com/YlPRGSj.mp4

[DarkLordMagus]

So does anybody have info on whether the Toqui can carry flares?

[foxtrot19673]

It does not seem like the aircraft was equiped with flares, it was retired recently so maybe it was given flares at the very end, i’m not sure

[DarkLordMagus]

That’s unfortunate. But also kind of expected.

[Chilean_Thunder]

No countermeasures were mounted, in the books and magazines that I have read they are not mentioned, the improvements are those that I described in the suggestion.

[Chilean_Thunder]

The only air-to-air missiles that were actually used were the Shafrir II, the Matra Magic I believe were never used in Chile, only Israeli and American material was used. The photo that you see where there is matra magic must be of another plane that was presented at FIDA in those years, although it is curious that it is next to cluster bombs manufactured in Chile, I would like to know which plane was the one that was next to it of the A-36 Toquí, it could be a Chilean Mirage 50, but I repeat, I have not seen any photo of any Chilean fighter that uses Matra Magic

[foxtrot19673]

based on the shadow i see in the bottom right of the image it seems the magic missile belongs to a mirage 2000 that maybe was parked on the side of the a36, also i remember seeing somewhere that the a36 could use either a single 30mm defa or 2 12.7mm M3 machine guns

[Chilean_Thunder]

Although the pod was received with the 12.7 mm machine guns, it was not used in service as explained here, the one that was used but rarely was the 7.62 mm although probably for training due to the low caliber, also do not add that pod because I considered it too weak compared to the 30mm, I don’t think anyone would prefer the 7.62mm pod in the game