The U.S. Air Force has ordered another six Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos for the Afghanistan air force, bringing the total to 26. Meanwhile, the USAF continues to explore the possibility of acquiring the type, or a similar turboprop such as the rival Textron Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine, for a light-attack counter-terrorism mission. Following an “experimental” evaluation at Holloman AFB last August, the service is now planning to take both types on a combat demonstration in the Middle East next year. 

The extra Super Tucanos for Afghanistan will be assembled in Jacksonville, Florida, and supplied via Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), as were the first 20. Six of the Brazilian turboprops have also been supplied to the Lebanese air force in a similar arrangement, which stems from the type’s selection in 2011 for the USAF’s Light Aircraft Support (LAS) requirement to equip allied foreign air forces. The AT-6 was also the rival candidate for LAS, but was defeated after a protracted technical and legal battle. After winning the LAS contest, the Super Tucano became the only aircraft in its class to gain a USAF military type certificate, which results in both cost and time savings, according to Embraer.

The A-29 has been active in Afghanistan since early 2016. Its ability to operate in rugged terrain, extreme climates and austere locations with a small operational and maintenance footprint has resulted in successful operations from at least four bases in-country, Embraer said.

In a media roundtable at the AFA Conference recently, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigan, commander U.S. Air Forces in Central Command (CENTCOM), said that “the Afghan air force is a good news story. They have built trust with their ground forces and made good, disciplined decisions on what targets to strike.” In addition to the A-29s, the U.S. is supplying 18 F-16 fighters; 30 MD-530 attack helicopters; 30 Cessna 208 turboprops for ISR and supply dropping; and 150 former U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, Harrigan said.

According to Embraer, the Super Tucano has now been selected by 13 air forces and has logged more than 320,000 flight hours, of which 40,000 have been in combat. It has “an unrivaled munitions capacity and more than 150 certified load configurations,” the company said. It is equipped with electronic, electro-optic, infrared and laser system technologies, as well as secure radio systems with datalinks. Approximately 250 are in service.

“There is no other aircraft like the A-29 in its ability to provide flight training, light attack and combat pilot seasoning,” said Taco Gilbert, senior vice president for SNC’s ISR business area.

“The Super Tucano is the best aircraft for close air support operations, as well as the most proven, reliable and cost-effective solution for counterinsurgency and irregular warfare scenarios,” said Jackson Schneider, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. Regarding the recent USAF evaluation, Schneider told AIN: “We fulfilled all the mandatory requirements, and are very positive about the future.”