EMPRESA NACIONAL DE AERONAUTICA DE CHILE

State-owned company, formed 1984 from IndAer industrial organisation set up 1980 by Chilean Air Force (FACh); aircraft manufacture started 1979 with assembly of 27 Piper PA-28 Dakota lightplanes for Chilean Air Force and flying clubs. Covered plant area 47,000 m² (505,900 sq ft); workforce of 1,615 in mid-2001 (latest information received).
Recent main programmes have mainly concerned various military upgrade programmes. Currently undertaking sole-source fin/tailplane manufacture of ERJ-135/140/145 (560 shipsets ordered) as Embraer risk-sharing partner, and subcontract manufacture of part of tail unit of EADS CASA CN-235 and C-295; is also manufacturing components for Dassault Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000.
Own-design programmes have comprised T-35 piston-engined Pillan, T-35DT Turbo Pillan military trainer and Namcu light aircraft. Last-named became centred in Netherlands under Euro-ENAER as the EE-10 Eaglet; ENAER was to have been South American distributor for this aircraft, but had not begun to supply structures by early 2002, when Euro-ENAER declared bankrupt.