Validation of rocket motor GRADICOM PCX
The announcement was done by Defence Minister Nilda Garré and Federal Planning and Infrastructure minister Julio De Vido, who anticipated that the test rocket booster would now begin to be produced by Fabricaciones Militares (Military hardware manufactures) both for domestic and overseas markets.
“The purpose of the test was the homologation of the rocket booster in flight which had already been accomplished at the Ballistics Test Bank belonging to CITEDEF, Centre for Scientific and Technologic Defence Research, located in Villa María, province of Córdoba.
According to the official Defence release the booster was entirely developed by Argentine scientists and engineers, to be used in missiles, rockets, long range artillery and other civilian and military uses.
The Gradicom engine is 2500 millimetres high, 320 mm in diameter and the rocket 4.45 metres tall and weights 500 kilos.
The head of CITIDEF engineer Eduardo Fabré said that the project “is an entirely Argentine construction made possible with the effort and support from Argentine scientists and engineers. It’s a vector of size and dimensions we are not used to, so it is in effect a great advance”.
Minister Garré said the achievement was a milestone and clearly in support of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s recent speech to the Army’s military academy where she reiterated Argentina’s determination to stimulate “national technology” particularly for defence purposes.
Only a few months ago CITIDEF successfully tested rocket PCX-2009, an Argentine version of Italian designed air defence missile Aspide. The trial was done from the frigate “ARA Argentina”.
Earlier this month Minister Garré also signed the final acquisition of Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina which is part of Fabrica Militar de Aviones, in Cordoba.
FMA was at the heart of Argentina’s air industry capabilities development which included the manufacture of Argentine designed turbine and jet aircrafts.
“This is an emblematic moment for the development of national defence and for the development of the province of Cordoba”, said Ms Garré at the time.
Monday 11th of July 2011
The second version, Gradicom II, rocket with two stages that will reach the 100 km altitude approximately 120 km. distance will be tested this year.
The launch will take place today at Chamical, La Rioja.
Gradicom II is a solid fuel rocket, which aims to flight test a rocket prototype in two stages, with 120 seconds of flight in outer space, and experiment with systems and subsystems for military and civilian use rocketry
Its dimensions are: 933 kg, 7686 mm full length-weight on ramp
The Gradicom I and II were fully developed by scientists and technologists Argentine.
Its objectives include meet the requirements of large dimensions to be used as a vector in various applications, such as rocket probe, missiles and long-range artillery, and engines in civilian and military applications.
Citidef shows a long history in the field of the self-propelled, both rockets and missiles.
Two categories of vectors differ primarily by the ability to be guided a posteriori launch.
The rockets are free trajectory vehicles used in artillery and as carriers of scientific probes for studies of the upper atmosphere.
The Institute at this stage is to shape an agenda for development in this field that will enable our country regain skills and start again the path of technological progress.
Citidef
The Institute of scientific research and techniques for the Defense (Citedef) carries out numerous developments such as the Crisis system, wind turbine extreme conditions, radar, the multiple Launcher artillery CP30, Lidar (atmospheric study), the stack of hydrogen, and shooting and flight simulators, among others.