FIAR

FIAR
Industry	Avionics
Founded	1941
Defunct	2003
Successor	Leonardo S.p.A.
Headquarters	Milan

FIAR S.p.A. (Fabbrica Italiana Apparecchiature Radioelettriche) was an Italian avionics and radar manufacturer; the Eurofighter's current radar contains its technology.^[1]

History

It was formed on 31 July 1941, as a spin off from Compagnia Generale di Elettricità (CGE), and also known as CGE-FIAR. It made repeater transmitters for RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana), the national broadcasting company of Italy.

In the 1980s it formed the ELIRADAR consortium with SMA (Stato maggiore dell'Aeronautica Militare).^[2] It was a prime contractor for some avionics in the Panavia Tornado; Italy took a 15% share in the Panavia Aircraft project and planned to buy 100 of the aircraft.^[3]

Up until the late 1980s, it had only produced radars built under licence. The first radar that it developed itself was the Grifo. The company was Italy's leading manufacturer of radar and infrared homing technology,^[4] notably for the MIM-23 Hawk missile. It made airborne and precision approach radar.

Ownership

It was a division of Alenia Aeronautica (Alenia Difesa from 1994 to 2001), later bought by Finmeccanica.

Products

Radar systems

CRESO ground surveillance radar
ECR-90 (Euroradar CAPTOR), for the Eurofighter, contains the Grifo technology^[5]
ELIRADAR APS-784, equips the AgustaWestland AW101
EuroFIRST PIRATE (Passive Infrared Airborne Tracking Equipment, infrared homing for the Eurofighter)
Grifetto
Grifo^[6] (X band)
Pointer
Setter, look down radar (named after the dog)

Structure

It was headquartered in Lombardy in north-west Italy,^[7] with a factory in Baranzate near Bollate on the SP 233.

References

[1] Flight International February 1994

[2] Flight International 1987

[3] Flight International December 1978

[4] 100 Years of Radar, page 192, Gaspare Galati

[5] Flight International 1988

[6] Flight International June 1985

[7] Flight International January 1973

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