PZL 104 Wilga 35 C-GHHY , Polish

First flown on 24 April 1962 and entering service during the following year, the Wilga has evolved through many ever-improving versions during its continuous production from 1962 to 2006. The type was largely used by civil operators; those military air services that did fly the type typically used it as a trainer and liaison aircraft. In excess of 1,000 aircraft were produced prior to European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) announcing on their website that production of the Wilga would cease in 2006.Accordingly, an airframe review was performed by the design team that resulted in the thorough redevelopment of the aircraft, led by Polish aeronautical engineers Bronisław Żurakowski and Andrzej Frydrychewicz.During 1979, the Wilga 80 variant went into production, which was an improved model specifically certified to operate in the US market. During the late 1990s, California-based Wilga dealer Terra-San, promoted their own self-developed special mission variant of the Wilga 80. This customised derivative, which was marketed as an alternative to helicopters in the law enforcement role, was furnished with a Wescam-built gimbal-mounted camera and infrared imaging system fixed to the exterior of the fuselage's centre-line.[1] In January 1996, it was announced that PZL intended to offer an armed version of the Wilga, intended to perform border patrol and counter-insurgency missions. The basic configuration of the aircraft was principally changed by the addition of a pair of under-wing hardpoints capable of carrying gun pods, along with both unguided or guided rockets.[2]