Super Tucano Capabilities

[Celedonio Miranda]

EMB314 Super Tucano is an enhanced version of the EMB-312 Tucano trainer aircraft that features faster speed and higher altitude capabilities. The prototype of the Super Tucano first flew in 1992. Both Tucano and Super Tucano have been developed and built by Embraer of Brazil.

The Tucano was a low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with retractable tricycle landing gear. It was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-25C turboprop providing 560 kW (750 SHP), driving a Hartzell three-bladed variable-pitch constant-speed propeller. There were two fuel tanks in each wing, providing four tanks with a total fuel capacity of 660 liters (174 US gallons). The aircraft was fully aerobatic.

The flight envelope of the aircraft is 7g and -3.5g. Its small size, small visual and radar signatures, together with high speed and agility, give the aircraft high-survivability. Additional survivability features include armour protection and critical systems redundancy.

Embraer was awarded a contract in 1995 to develop a variant of the Super Tucano, known as the ALX or light attack aircraft, for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). One of the main missions of the aircraft is border patrol under the Sistema de Vigilancia da Amazonia (SIVAM) programme and so the ALX was optimised for the environmental conditions of the Brazilian Amazon. The ALX is capable of operating day and night missions from remote bases and unpaved runways with minimal ground support. The first production aircraft was completed in 1999.

In August 2001, the Brazilian Air Force awarded Embraer a contract for 76 Super Tucano / ALX aircraft with options for a further 23. 51 of these aircraft are two seater versions, designated AT-29, which are stationed at the Natal Air Force Base and replace the AT-26 Xavante advanced jet trainers which are approaching the end of their operational lives. The remaining 25 aircraft are the single seat A-29 ALX version.

In August 2001, Embraer announced the signing of a contract with the Dominican Republic for ten Super Tucano aircraft, to be used for pilot training, internal security, border patrol and counter-narcotics trafficking missions. The order was reduced to eight aircraft in January 2009. The first two Super Tucano aircraft were delivered to the Dominican Republic on 18 December 2009. Three were delivered in June 2010 and the remaining three in October 2010.

Venezuela selected the EMB-314 Super Tucano in February 2005. A total of 12 aircraft were to be ordered, with a further 12 planned. The sale fell through because it was thought the USA would block the transfer of US-built components.

In December 2005, the Columbian Air Force placed a contract for 25 Super Tucano aircraft. The first five were delivered in December 2006, with the final delivery completed in August 2008. The aircraft are used for border patrol and internal security. Elbit Systems was contracted to supply the avionics suite.

In April 2008, the Chilean Air Force selected the EMB-314 Super Tucano, with a requirement for 12 aircraft. A contract for the 12 aircraft was signed in August 2008. Embraer delivered first four of the 12 aircraft to Chilean Air Force on 23 December 2009. The Dominican Republic placed a contract for eight Super Tucano aircraft in late 2008.

The Ecuadorian Air Force (EAF) ordered 24 Super Tucano aircraft in March 2009 as part of a $270m agreement signed with Embraer in 2008. A total of six Super Tucanos were delivered by April 2010. The EAF reduced its order from 24 to 18 in May 2010 to acquire 12 second-hand Cheetah C fighters from Denel Dynamics.

Embraer signed a contract with the Indonesian Ministry of Defence in November 2010 to supply eight A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advance trainer aircraft for superseding a fleet of OV-10 Broncos. It also supplied ground support stations and an integrated logistics package. The contract was finalised and became effective from 9 June 2011. The first four aircraft were delivered in August 2012.

The Indonesian Air Force placed an order for a second batch of eight A-29 Super Tucano aircraft and a flight simulator in July 2012, while the Philippine Air Force (PAF) awarded a contract to Embraer for six A-29 aircraft in November 2017. Delivery to the PAF commenced in 2019.

The first A-29 completed its inaugural flight for the NAF in April 2020, while the entire fleet is expected to be delivered by 2021. The contract also includes ground training equipment, mission planning devices, mission debrief systems, ground support systems and additional mission equipment the NAF.

A-29 Super Tucano was selected by the US Air Force (USAF) for its Light Air Support (LAS) programme in December 2011. Under the $355m contract, 20 aircraft were expected to be delivered in partnership with SNC, who was the prime contractor of the programme. The contract was cancelled in February 2012 due to concerns over the procurement process. The USAF placed a $427m order with Embraer to deliver 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the Afghan Air Force, in February 2013. The first aircraft was rolled out in September 2014.

The all-glass cockpit is fully compatible with night-vision goggles. Brazilian AF ALX aircraft are equipped with avionics systems from Elbit Systems of Haifa, Israel, including a head-up display (HUD), advanced mission computer, navigation system, and two 6in x 8in colour liquid crystal multi-function displays.

The head-up display with 24 field of view and the advanced weapon delivery system are integrated through a MIL-STD-1553B data bus. The pilot is provided with a hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) control.

The pilot is protected with Kevlar armour and provided with a zero/zero ejection seat. The clamshell canopy, hinged at the front and rear and electrically activated, is fitted with a de-icing system and features a windshield capable of withstanding, at 300k, the impact of a 4lb bird. A Northrop Grumman onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS) is installed.

The aircraft is fitted with two central mission computers. The integrated weapon system includes software for weapon aiming, weapon management, mission planning and mission rehearsal. Onboard recording is used for post mission analysis.

There are five hardpoints for carrying weapons, and the aircraft is capable of holding a maximum external load of 1,500kg. The aircraft is armed with two wing-mounted 12.7mm machine guns with a rate of fire of 1,100 rounds a minute and is capable of carrying general-purpose bombs and guided air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. Brazilian AF aircraft are armed with the MAA-1 Piranha short-range infrared guided air-to-air missile from Orbita.

The FN M3P is a .50-caliber (12.7x99mm) single-barrel high rate-of-fire machine gun optimized for remote firing from aircraft, ground vehicles and naval craft and provides both offensive and defensive firepower ranging out to nearly 1,850 meters.

The MAA-1 Piranha is the first air-to-air missile developed by Brazil for its Air Force and Navy replacing the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. Its development began in the middle 1990s, the original project was released in the late 1970s, and achieved some degree of operational capability in September 2002. It has been assumed that the missile achieved initial operational capability in 2003 coinciding with the last test campaign. The MAA-1 project has been handled by many Brazilian companies since its inception in the 1970s but finally was Mectron in the 1990s who developed the MAA-1 missile weapon system.

During the 1990s Mectron conducted Piranha missile test firings on the AT-26 Xavante, F-5 and Mirage III aircraft. The missile was qualified for operation on the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) F-5E in September 2002. Missile production began from 2003 onwards but no date has been confirmed yet. The Piranha air-to-air missile has also been integrated into Brazilian AMX training/light attack aircraft and could be integrated into many other aircraft used by the Brazilian Air Force in the near future. Source deagel.com

The two-seat AT-29 is fitted with a forward-looking infrared AN/AAQ-22 SAFIRE turret on the underside of the fuselage. The SAFIRE thermal imaging system supplied by FLIR Systems is for targeting, navigation and target tracking. The system allows the aircraft to carry out night surveillance and attack missions.

EMB-314 Super Tucano is powered by a PT6A-68A turboprop engine, developing 969kW. The power plant is fitted with automatic engine monitoring and control. The ALX aircraft has a more powerful engine than the EMB-314.

Also, the PT6A is used on the T-6 Texan II military trainer aircraft, which provides undergraduate pilot training for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. The T-6 Texan II is powered by a single PT6A-68 engine with 1,100 shp. Source fi-powerweb.com

The range and service ceiling of the Super Tucano are 4,820km and 10,670m respectively. Its maximum endurance is six hours and 30 minutes. The aircraft weighs 3,020kg and has a maximum take-off weight of 5,200kg.

Due to its location and size Brazil has some unique and demanding defence requirements. The largest country in South America, it shares 11,000km (6,800 miles) of borders with seven countries. While Brazil's south is modern and industrialised, the same cannot be said of its north. The Amazon river basin to the north comprises over 60% of Brazil's territory, its rain forest and scrublands a haven for illegal activities.

In 1990 a joint civil/military co-ordination agency, the Amazon Protection System (SIPAM), was formed to tame this region. Critical to SIPAM's success is the implementation of the Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM), which has both air and ground components. Raytheon is SIVAM prime contractor, with Brazilian manufacturer Embraer supplying the aerial component, which uses three aircraft to fulfil its mission. The EMB-145RS and EMB-145SA AEW&C, based on the Embraer's ERJ-145 regional jet, will handle ground and air surveillance duties, respectively. The teeth of SIVAM will be the company's EMB-314 Super Tucano, designated the AL-X, or A/AT-29, by the Brazilian air force.

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