Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)

Order of Battle · Aircraft manufacturers · Switzerland

Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)

Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein AG · Dornier-Werke Altenrhein

On the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, the old Dornier works built a supersonic fighter that Switzerland cancelled after two crashes; its engineers carried its wing to Bill Lear, and the Learjet followed.

1948Founded
Defunct 1987Status
5Aircraft on record
2Air forces flying its types
Photo: Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
CountrySwitzerlandFounded1948FoundersClaudio CaroniHeadquartersAltenrhein, St. GallenStatusDefunct 1987
The story

Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA): the company and the aircraft that made its name

Dornier’s Swiss outpost

Altenrhein, on the Swiss bank of Lake Constance, was where Dornier built aircraft beyond the reach of German post-war restrictions, including the giant Do X flying boat of 1929. After the Second World War the works lay idle. In 1948 Claudio Caroni, a lawyer from Locarno, took them over and split them from Dornier as Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, a name that promised aircraft and vehicles alike.

The P-16 and the Learjet

FFA built Morane-Saulnier-based fighters for the Swiss Air Force and shared in licence production of the Vampire and Venom. From 1947 it designed its own jet, the P-16, a ground-attack fighter that could use short alpine strips. The first prototype flew on 25 April 1955; the second broke the sound barrier in 1956; 100 were ordered in 1958. Then a pre-production aircraft crashed on 25 March 1958, the second loss, and the government withdrew the order in favour of the Hawker Hunter.

Trains, buses and the Bravo

FFA kept flying two more P-16s at its own expense. Nobody bought them, but Bill Lear studied the design, several of its engineers went to work for him, and the Learjet 23 borrowed heavily from it. FFA meanwhile built railway coaches for Swiss Federal Railways, trolleybus bodies, cable-car cabins and Diamant sailplanes, and with SIAI-Marchetti the AS 202 Bravo trainer, of which over 200 were built. In 1987 Dornier bought back the name and the railway side went to Schindler.

On the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, the old Dornier works built a supersonic fighter that Switzerland cancelled after two crashes; its engineers carried its wing to Bill Lear, and the Learjet followed.Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) · verified 2026-10-03
At a glance

Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) in numbers

The company

In short
Founded 1948

  • Former Dornier works at Altenrhein, Lake Constance
  • Taken over and renamed by Claudio Caroni, 1948
  • Aircraft, railway coaches, buses, cable-car cabins
  • Name bought back by Dornier, 1987

Production

Best known for
P-16, AS 202 Bravo

  • P-16 fighter prototypes (5 built)
  • AS 202 Bravo trainer with SIAI-Marchetti
  • Diamant sailplanes
  • Licence work on Vampire and Venom

Today

Now
Defunct since 1987

  • Railway division passed via Schindler to Stadler Rail (1997)
  • One P-16 survives

The numbers

P-16 order (cancelled)
100 aircraft1958
P-16 built
5 (2 prototypes, 3 pre-production)
AS/SA 202 Bravo built
214 (34 of the 202/15, 180 of the 202/18)
The aircraft

Every notable Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) aircraft

FFA P-16Ground attack fighter · first flight 1955 · 5 built

Photos: Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Aircraft Role First flight Built Status Note
Dornier Do X Giant flying boat (built at Altenrhein under Dornier) 1929 3 Retired Built at the works before FFA existed
D-3803 Piston fighter Retired Based on Morane-Saulnier designs; replaced by surplus P-51s
FFA P-16 Ground attack fighter 1955 5 Retired Supersonic in a dive 1956; order for 100 cancelled 1958
FFA AS 202 Bravo Light trainer 1969 214 In service Joint with SIAI-Marchetti; mainly military customers
FFA Diamant Sailplane Retired
Who flies them

Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) aircraft in the world’s air forces

2 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) types. 1 of them still have one in service.

Air force In service Formerly flown
Uganda People’s Defence Forces Air Force FFA AS 202 Bravo
Swiss Air Force FFA P-16 and EFW N-20 Aiguillon
Places, people, records

Where Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) built, who led it, what it achieved

Factories

  • Altenrhein works · Altenrhein, St. Gallen — Former Dornier works on Lake Constance with airfield

People

  • Claudio Caroni · owner from 1948 — Locarno lawyer (1907–1984) who took over the derelict Dornier works
  • Bill Lear · American industrialist — Examined the P-16; its design influenced the Learjet 23

Records and firsts

  • P-16 second prototype exceeded the speed of sound, 15 August 1956
Timeline

Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA), year by year

1929

Dornier Do X, built at Altenrhein, first flies

1947

P-16 fighter project begins

1948

Claudio Caroni takes over the works; FFA formed

1952

Two P-16 prototypes ordered

1955

P-16 first flight

1955

First P-16 prototype lost

1956

P-16 goes supersonic

1958

Pre-production P-16 crashes; order for 100 withdrawn

1960

Last P-16 flights

1969

AS 202 Bravo first flight

1987

Dornier buys back the name; railway side to Schindler

The family tree

Before and after Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)

Came beforeDornierAltenrhein works split off in 1948Read the Dornier pageCame afterDornierbought back the FFA name in 1987Read the Dornier page
Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)

What was the FFA P-16?
A Swiss ground-attack jet fighter built by FFA at Altenrhein. It first flew in 1955, but the order for 100 was withdrawn in 1958 after two crashes.
Was the Learjet based on the P-16?
Bill Lear studied the P-16 and several of its engineers worked on the Learjet 23, which shares many features; some historians call it a derivative.
What does FFA stand for?
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, Aircraft and Vehicle Works Altenrhein.
What else did FFA build?
Railway coaches, trolleybus bodies, cable-car cabins, Diamant sailplanes and, with SIAI-Marchetti, the AS 202 Bravo trainer.

Continue the tour

Around Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)

SwitzerlandPilatusBorn in wartime beneath a Swiss mountain and backed by an arms magnate, Pilatus became trainer supplier to dozens of air forces and maker of the PC-12, the turboprop…Read the Pilatus pageSwitzerlandEidgenössische Konstruktionswerkstätte (K+W)A Swiss army workshop founded to repair artillery in 1863 built the country’s first home-grown military aircraft in 1916, then licence-built Dewoitine fighters…Read the Eidgenössische Konstruktionswerkstätte (K+W) pageThe indexAll aircraft manufacturersEvery company that built an aircraft flown by the air forces in the Order of Battle, current and historic.Open the list
Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked

Verified 2026-10-03.