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A-29 Super Tucano Wins Air Force Bid for Light Air Support Mission


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SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION and EMBRAER DEFENSE & SECURITY to supply aircraft, training and support to the Light Air Support program. A-29 Super Tucano to be built in Jacksonville, FL; over 70 U.S. companies to supply parts and services

A-29 Super Tucano Wins Air Force Bid for Light Air Support Mission

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Not to much of a surprise as they were the only ones in the competition. Beechcraft submitted a proposal, but the Air Force shot it down because of "technical difficulties" in the document itself. Then Beechcraft complained that it didn't get notice until it was too late to do anything about it, and the GAO said "no, we've got you signature on the registered mail receipt saying you got it in time" and now Beechcraft is suing.

This is for aircraft for the Afghani government. It's about a billion dollar contract.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awx/2011/12/27/awx_12_27_2011_p0-409405.xml

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There is a place in my heart for little bad *** prop planes in a multi-million/billion dollar stealth jet world.

Good for them!

I think we will be seeing a lot more turboprop jobbies popping up for these types of missions as they have endurance and loiter time and are perfect for areas where you may not have a tanker asset available to top off a strike jet. Plus, you load these birds down with ammo and rockets and they can keep laying on the fire when an F-16 has to head home because it dropped its last bombs. This aspect is what made the A-1 Skyraider so good. Only jet that can do a similar role well as I see it is the A-10, but no more of those are being made (and the A-10s are perfectly suited for Afghanistan's mountain region where it is too high for attack helicopters to venture).

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If it spawns a model kit, hopefully it will generate enough interest in the Tucano itself to see a new tooled kit of the Embraer version of the straight trainer Tucano.

Yes, I know the standard Tucano and Super Tucano are two totally different airframes. One can wish, can't one? :wub:

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Bummer, I was hoping to see the OV-10 Bronco line re-opened, like Boeing proposed back in 2009. I even recall reading an essay somewhere arguing how the A-1 Skyraider should be re-tooled and placed back into production. That would have been cool.

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Wonder how they came up with A-29?

The highest A number I knew of was for the A-12 Avenger.

It's the Brazilian system.

T-23 is the Aerotec Uirapuru

T-24 is the Fouga Magister

T-25 is the Neiva Universal

AT-26 is the Embraer Xavante

T-27/AT-27 is the Embraer Tucano

T-28 is the Trojan (the Brazilians skipped number 28 to avoid confusion IIRC)

A-29A/B is the Embraer Super Tucano

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now Beechcraft is suing.

What a surprise. That seems to be a normal SOP these days. If you lose a military contract, send in the lawyers. However, given the silliness that occurred with the tanker procurement, I'll withhold final judgement until I hear Beechcraft's side of the story.

It wouldn't be the first time that the AF screwed up.

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Dont Forget That U.S. Goverment are very interested in win the FX Program to sale the F-18E as the new Brazilian Air Force Fighter, Brazil wants to buy 36 fighters to substitute the F-5 and Mirage 2000 in the first line. The competition is very close to the sign with Dassault Rafale, but now with confidence vot from USA in Brazilian Industrial park the things could change. The FAB officers wants the Superbug, but the politicians in favour of the french because his financial lobby... Its a new time guys, the world change, the ancient poor countrys grows and the biggers need of him... now is timeto play the game with the rules of the new reach countrys....

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Everything I wish is that, finally, with the Super Tucano wearing the U.S. insignia, the kit manufacturers turn able to see this airplane and reward us with at least a good kit in the main scales. :boohoo::pray:

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Everything I wish is that, finally, with the Super Tucano wearing the U.S. insignia, the kit manufacturers turn able to see this airplane and reward us with at least a good kit in the main scales. :boohoo::pray:

That's for different contracts (both Air Force and Navy). These particular aircraft will have Afghan markings. But they were chosen and will be paid for by the US Air Force directly, so it seems Embraer has an inside track to any future Air Force sales.

These will be built in America and Beechcraft's aircraft is a derivative of the Pilatus PC-9, so I don't think the Americanness and foreignness of the aircrafts are really that much of an issue.

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