Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano
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| EMB 314 / A-29 Super Tucano | |
|---|---|
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| A-29 Super Tucano of the Colombian Air Force | |
| Role | Counter-insurgency and pilot training |
| Manufacturer | Embraer |
| First flight | June 2, 1999 |
| Introduction | 2003 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | Brazilian Air Force Colombian Air Force Ecuadorian Air Force Chilean Air Force |
| Number built | 88 (as of January 2009)[1] |
| Unit cost | $9 million[2] |
| Developed from | Embraer EMB-312 Tucano |
The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, also named ALX or A-29 is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter insurgency (COIN) and pilot training missions, incorporating modern avionics and weapons systems. It is currently in service with the air forces of Brazil, and Colombia, and has been ordered by the Chile, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Embraer has plans to sell it to other countries in Asia and the Middle East. Besides pilot training, it is heavily employed in monitoring operations in the Amazon region.
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[edit] Design and development
The request for a light attack aircraft was part of the Brazilian government's SIVAM (Amazon Monitoring System) Project. This aircraft would fly with the R-99A and R-99B aircraft currently in service and would be responsible for intercepting illegal aircraft flights and patrolling Brazil's borders.
The ALX Project was then created by the Brazilian Air Force, which was also in need of a military trainer to replace the Embraer EMB 326GB Xavante. The project of the new aircraft was suited to the Amazon region (high temperature, moisture, and precipitation; low threat). The ALX was then specified as a turboprop engine aircraft with a long range and autonomy, able to operate in night and day, in any meteorological conditions, and able to land on short airfields lacking infrastructure.
The first flight of a single-seat Super Tucano production aircraft occurred on 2 June 1999. The first flight of the two-seat version occurred on 22 October 1999.
On 11 January 2006 Embraer had a potential sale of 24 units to Venezuela fall through.[3]
Twenty-four Super Tucano (variant AT-29B) were purchased by the Colombian Air Force in a 234 million USD deal, purchased directly from the Brazilian company Embraer. The first three planes arrived in the morning of 14 December 2006 to the military airfield of CATAM in Bogotá. Two more planes were delivered on the week of December 16, 2006, ten more in the first semester of 2007 and the rest in June 2008. [4] The Colombian Air Force used the Super Tucano armed with Griffin bombs in the "Operation Fenix" in Ecuadorian territory, destroying a terrorist cell and killing the second-in-comand chief of FARC, Raúl Reyes.
One Super Tucano has also been purchased by a subsidiary of Blackwater Worldwide, an American private military contracting firm.[5][6] The plane did not include the machine guns normally attached to the wings.
In 2008 the U. S. Navy began testing the Super Tucano at the behest of the U.S. Special Operations Command for its potential use to support special warfare operations.[7]
[edit] Variants
- A-29A
- Single-seater for attack and armed reconnaissance (on interdiction tasks), attack and cover (on close air support tasks), able to intercept and destroy low performance aircraft.
- A-29B
- Twin-seater for the same tasks as the single seat version, also used in training and advanced aerial control (on monitoring tasks).
[edit] Operators
- Brazilian Air Force - 99 ordered, about 70 in service.
- First Squadron of the Third Aviation Group (1º/3º GAv) "Esquadrão Escorpião"
- Second Squadron of the Fifth Aviation Group (2º/5º GAv) "Esquadrão Joker"
- Second Squadron of the Third Aviation Group (2º/3º GAv) "Esquadrão Grifo"
- Third Squadron of the Third Aviation Group (3º/3º GAv) "Esquadrão Flecha"
- Colombian Air Force - 25 units[9] , to replace Rockwell OV-10 Bronco and Cessna A-37 Dragonfly. All 25 units delivered by 2008.
- Dominican Air Force - 8 units (ordered in January, 2009)[10]
- Ecuadorian Air Force - 24 ordered. Deliveries beginning in 2009.[11]
- US Navy 1 aircraft under lease for testing. [12]
- Blackwater Worldwide (private company) - 1 twin-seater variant for pilot training (delivered in February 2008), possible further orders for counter-insurgency role.[13][14][15]
[edit] Specifications (EMB 314)
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot on single seat version, one pilot plus one navigator/student on double seat version
- Length: 11.33 m (37.17 ft)
- Wingspan: 11.14 m (36.55 ft)
- Height: 3.97 m (13.02 ft)
- Wing area: 19.4 m² (208.82 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 3,020 kg (6,658 lb)
- Loaded weight: 4,520 kg (9,965 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 5,200 kg (11,464 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68C, 1,600 hp (1,193 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 593 km/h (320 knots, 368 mph)
- Range: 4,820 km (2,995 mi)
- Service ceiling: 10,670 m (35,008 ft)
- Rate of climb: 24 m/s (79 ft/s)
Armament
- 2x 12.7 mm FN Herstal M3P machine guns
- 1x 20 mm cannon pod below the fuselage
- 4x 70 mm rocket launcher pods
- Conventional ('Iron') and Guided ('Smart') bombs
- 2x AIM-9 Sidewinder or MAA-1 Piranha or Python 3/4 air-to-air missiles
- External stores on 5 hardpoints
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
[edit] References
- ^ Embraer Sells Eight Super Tucano Aircraft to the Dominican Republic
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.defesanet.com.br/intel/crise_al_54.htm
- ^ "Aterrizaron en Colombia los tres primeros aviones Supertucano para la Fuerza Aérea". El Tiempo. 2006-12-14. http://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/2006-12-15/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3366966.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-06-01-blackwater-brazlian-fighter-plane_N.htm] USAToday.com - Report: Blackwater buys Brazilian-made fighter plane, 2 June 2008
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361322,00.html FoxNews.com - Report: Blackwater Worldwide Purchases Brazilian-Made Fighter Plane, 2 June 2008.
- ^ http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsf/articles/20090316.aspx SkyLite Raider for USSOCOM
- ^ "Embraer vende Super Tucano para governo do Chile". folhaonline. http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/dinheiro/ult91u433850.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
- ^ "Embraer vende Super Tucano para governo do Chile". folhaonline. http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/dinheiro/ult91u433850.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
- ^ Embraer Sells Eight Super Tucano Aircraft to the Dominican Republic
- ^ "Governo do Chile compra 12 aviões Supertucano da Embraer". http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/economia/2008/08/15/governo_do_chile_compra_12_avioes_supertucano_da_embraer_1568937.html.
- ^ [2]
- ^ Warplanes: Blackwater Buys Brazilian Bombers
- ^ The Penny Drops: COIN Aircraft for Blackwater? - Defense Industry Daily
- ^ FOXNews.com - Report: Blackwater Worldwide Purchases Brazilian-Made Fighter Plane - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News
[edit] External links
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