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| A-29 Super Tucano (Image: Wiki Commons) |
by Bill Carey
The A-29 Super Tucano on display at the Singapore Airshow is more than a sporty turboprop with a fancy paint scheme–the type has accumulated 33,000 combat hours, manufacturer Embraer is quick to note. That ongoing legacy should help make the case for countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have a requirement for a light attack or counterinsurgency asset, the Brazilian company believes.
“For any air force that is facing threats right now in terms of terrorist attacks–for counterinsurgency types of applications–- the Super Tucano is really the best machine,” said José Luis Molina, Embraer Defense and Security senior commercial v-p. “It has been used successfully by the Colombian air force and we have other countries in Africa that are using the aircraft right now to face real threats they have.”
Embraer (Booth CD31, OD-03) has supplied more than 200 Super Tucanos to a dozen air forces on three continents. Last month, the first four of 20 A-29s the Afghan air force will deploy against Taliban insurgents arrived in Kabul. Embraer and partner Sierra Nevada Corporation are supplying Super Tucanos to Afghanistan under the U.S. Light Air Support program.
Read the full story at AINonline