Why Super Tucano Is Super

Guatemala is buying six Brazilian A-29 Super Tucano aircraft for their air force. The Super Tucano is a single engine turbo-prop trainer/attack aircraft that is used by over a dozen nations. This aircraft carries two internal 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine-guns and can carry up to 1.5 tons of bombs and rockets. It can stay in the air for 6.5 hours at a time. It is rugged, easy to maintain, and cheap. You pay $15-20 million for each Super Tucano, depending on how much training, spare parts and support equipment you get with them.

 

This aircraft can be equipped to carry over a half dozen of the 250 pound GPS smart bombs (or half a dozen dumb 500 pound bombs), giving it considerable potential firepower if rigged to handle smart bombs. The Super Tucano comes equipped with a GPS guidance system. Max altitude is 11,300 meters (35,000 feet) and cruising speed is 400 kilometers an hour. Naturally, this aircraft can move in lower and slower than any jet can. The Super Tucano is also equipped with armor for the pilot, a pressurized cockpit, and an ejection seat. Not bad for an aircraft with a max takeoff weight of 5.4 tons.

 

The Super Tucano can double as trainers. It's easier to train pilots to use the Super Tucano, cheaper to buy them, and much cheaper to operate them. It costs less than a tenth as much per flying hour to operate a Super Tucano compared to a F-16.

 

Guatemala is the sixth South Latin American customer for the Super Tucano joining Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. Twelve countries (including Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Fasso, Indonesia, Mauritius and Senegal) have bought Super Tucano, which has become the world’s leading counter-insurgency aircraft. Guatemala will use it to help control the growing problem with drug smugglers moving cocaine to North America. 

 

These "trainer/light attack aircraft" can also operate from crude airports, or even a stretch of highway. Aircraft like this can carry systems to defeat portable surface to air missiles. They can carry smart bombs as well.

Embraer Delivers the First Four A-29 Super Tucano to Indonesian Air Force

Embraer Defense and Security has today delivered four light attack and tactical training A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to Indonesia’s Air Force at a ceremony held in its facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, Brazil. Indonesia is the first operator of Super Tucano in the Asia-Pacific region.

These four A-29 Super Tucano are from the initial batch of eight aircraft purchased by the Indonesian Air Force (IAF) in 2010. The IAF has since ordered a second batch of eight Super Tucanos as part of their equipment modernization exercise, bringing the total number of orders to 16 aircraft.

“We are honored that the Indonesian Air force has selected the A-29 Super Tucano as the preferred choice in their fleet modernization program”, said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, President of Embraer Defense and Security. “The Super Tucano is a mature, proven and mission-ready aircraft with more than 160 units in operation globally.”

The Super Tucano was chosen by the Indonesian Defense Forces to replace a fleet of OV-10 Broncos as part of their equipment modernization exercise for years 2009 – 2014. With more than 157,000 flight hours and over 23,000 combat hours achieved, the Super Tucano offers the flexibility to perform a broad range of missions including light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception and counter insurgence. The aircraft makes excellent use of the most recent electronic, optical, infra-red and laser technologies, as well as secure radio communications with data-link, and an unparalleled weaponry capability, making it highly reliable and at a top-level cost/benefit ratio for a wide range of military missions, even operating from unpaved runways.

Tucano Debuts At Airshow Amidst Lawsuit, Chinese Takeover Talk

The Air Force initially decided to buy 20 of the light attack planes for Afghanistan, then unexpectedly cancelled the Light Air Support contract two months later in February -- a decision Sierra Nevada is suing to reverse. Meanwhile, competitor Hawker Beechcraft, which had been pushing its AT-6 Texan II as the all-American alternative to the Brazilian-designed Super Tucano, is in the somewhat awkward position of potentially being bought by the Chinese.

"Our lawyers, with what they've seen so far, feel that we have a strong position to argue that the 'corrective action [i.e. cancelling the contract] was excessive," Sierra Nevada vice-president Taco Gilbert said on the eve of his departure for the annual Air Venture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where the Super Tucano, already widely used in Latin America, is making its US airshow debut.

The Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, admitted today that his service failed to do its job properly for the deal. "We fumbled on the documentation," he told reporters at his last Pentagon press conference. Schwartz is due to retire next month. "We didn't meet standards." My colleague Colin Clark asked him if he anyone had been fired. He looked at Clark, nodded and said: "Indeed." Schwartz would not say anything else about the deal.

Sierra Nevada's lawsuit is still in discovery and under a protective order; Gilbert emphasized that he is barred from learning most of the details from his own legal team, let alone discussing them with the press. Nevertheless, he expressed his confidence that the government documents disclosed so far support Sierra Nevada's case: that whatever the Air Force may have done wrong in choosing the Super Tucano initially, it over-corrected by cancelling the contract and restarting the competition -- and that the new competition is no improvement at all but rather fatally flawed.

Above all, the original competition included flying demonstrations of both rival aircraft (albeit flown by contractor pilots, with Air Force personnel only aboard as rear-seat observers); the new competition will assess the planes purely on paper. "The elimination of a flight evaluation is difficult to understand at best; I call it unbelievable," Gilbert said. There's plenty of time in the Air Force's revised timeline to do another fly-off, he went on, and while Pentagon budgets are tightening, Sierra Nevada would be happy to do the demonstration at its own expense, as both competitors did for the initial flights back in 2011.

The technical details of the two planes' performance have been overshadowed by Hawker Beechcraft's efforts -- backed by the congressional delegation from its home state, Kansas -- to portray the Super Tucano, designed by Brazil's Embraer, as a choice that costs American jobs. (Sierra Nevada insists almost all the work for the Air Force would be done in the US and accuses Hawker of exporting US jobs by moving much of its work to Mexico). That Buy-America campaign is now complicated by Hawker Beechcraft's ongoing talks with Super Aviation Beijing, co-owned by a Chinese entrepreneur and the Beijing municipal government, which would rescue Hawker from bankruptcy by purchasing its civilian business.

Hawker emphasizes, though, that its defense unit, which builds both the AT-6 and the T-6 trainer for the US military, would not be sold to Superior: "The transaction with Superior would not include Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC), which would remain a separate entity," Hawker spokeswoman Nicole Alexander sais. "Hawker Beechcraft is currently reviewing its strategic options for HBDC, which could include operation as a standalone company or sale to a buyer that meets United States Department of Defense requirements."

Wewill keep watching both Hawker's sell-off and Sierra's lawsuit. No matter what comes next, the tale of what was mean to be a modest, affordable, off-the-shelf airplane procurement is only getting more tortured.

Indonesian Air Force Signs Sales Contract for Second Batch of A-29 Super Tucano Airplanes

The Indonesian Air Force has signed a commercial contract for a second batch of eight light attack and tactical training A-29 Super Tucano. The order also includes a flight simulator that will be used for instructing and training Indonesian pilots. In August 2012, Indonesia will receive the first four airplanes from the initial batch of eight aircraft ordered in November 2010. Deliveries of the second batch are scheduled for 2014.

“This decision shows the recognition given to the quality of the Super Tucano by the international market,” said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, President of Embraer Defense and Security. “We are pleased with the confidence expressed by the Indonesian Air Force, and we are confident that the performance of the Super Tucano will be effective and excellent in the missions for which it was chosen.”

The A-29 Super Tucano was selected by Indonesia to carry out a broad range of missions, including light attack, surveillance, aerial intercepts, and counter-insurgency.This acquisition is part of the modernization of the Indonesian Defence Force’s equipment for years 2009-2014. With more than 157,000 flight hours and over 23,000 combat hours, the A-29 Super Tucano makes excellent use of the most recent electronic, optical, infra-red and laser technologies, as well as secure radio communications with data-link, and an unparalleled weaponry capability, making it highly reliable and at a top-level cost/benefit ratio for a wide range of military missions, even operating from unpaved runways.

Embraer Selects Boeing to Provide Weapons Integration for A-29 Super Tucano

Embraer and Boeing today at the Farnborough Airshow announced an agreement that further enhances the collaboration between the two companies and brings additional capabilities to Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano through new weapons integration developments to meet future customer requirements.

The new weapons integration capacity enhances the solution presented to the U.S. Air Force Light Air Support (LAS) program by not only meeting program requirements, but exceeding them in ways that are important to the customer.

"This new capability will take advantage of the versatility of the Super Tucano and will benefit our campaign in the United States," said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, president of Embraer Defesa & Segurança. "With more than eight years in service and more than 160 aircraft delivered, the Super Tucano is a proven platform. The aircraft's performance, operational effectiveness and costs to operate and maintain are well defined and documented."

Today's announcement follows the April signing of a broad cooperation agreement between Boeing and Embraer that established an important relationship between two of the world's largest aerospace companies to cooperate in ways that enhance aircraft efficiency and safety, research and technology and sustainable aviation biofuels to create value for both companies and their customers.

"This agreement enables integration of Boeing products on a highly affordable turboprop aircraft that offers unique close air support capabilities to customers worldwide," said Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "Boeing direct attack weapons are combat-proven and in inventory with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and 27 international military customers."

On June 26, Boeing and Embraer announced a collaboration on the KC-390 program to share some specific technical knowledge and evaluate markets where they may join efforts for medium-lift military transport opportunities.

To date, the Super Tucano fleet has logged more than 157,000 flight hours, including 23,000 combat hours, with no combat losses. The aircraft also is certified for more than 130 munitions configurations. It has been selected by 10 customers around the world.

Brazilian Air Force takes delivery of A-29, F-5M fighters

Brazilian Air Force  Fighter Aircraft  Embraer 

Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has taken delivery of an A-29 Super Tucano and two upgraded F-5M fighter aircraft from Embraer.

The aircraft were delivered to the FAB on Tuesday.

The 99th A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft was delivered under a 2003 contract to supply 76 such fighters to the FAB with an option for an additional 23 jets under the AL-X programme.

The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano is a turboprop jet designed for light attack, counter insurgency and pilot training missions, incorporating modern avionics and weapons systems.

The aircraft is currently used in the FAB for advanced pilot training and carries out important functions in the Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM).

The two F-5M fighters, featuring new navigation systems, weaponry, computers, and multimodal radar, were delivered under a contract awarded to Embraer in 2000 to modernise a total of 46 such supersonic jets of the FAB. The aircraft were the last two jets under the contract.

In December 2010, Embraer received another contract to upgrade 11 additional F-5 jets for the FAB. Work will begin on the first jet in October 2012, the company said, adding that the first deliveries of this second group of jets are planned for 2013.

The Brazilian Air Force has been flying the Northrop-made F-5 jets since the 1970s