Testing found the aircraft unsuitable for the role
The U.S. Air Force no longer plans to use three A-29 Super Tucanos for flight testing. Instead, the service has divested its only examples of the Embraer-built turboprop aircraft.
The planes were evaluated to determine whether they could meet the needs of the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, but officials concluded they were not suited to the intended purpose. The aircraft have since been removed from the service’s inventory, and officials are exploring longer-term options for an aircraft capable of supporting spin training and mission-systems testing.
From special operations to test-pilot training
The three A-29s were initially acquired by Air Force Special Operations Command. The command later transferred them after its mission requirements changed. The Test Pilot School at Edwards took them on to assess whether they could meet a range of its training and testing needs.
Their departure was foreshadowed in an Air Force notice published Oct. 29. The service said it planned to award SNC a sole-source contract to place the aircraft in secure storage. The contract would include one base year and options for two additional years.
“These aircraft are not expected to return to flight for use by the Air Force,” the notice said.
Jacksonville assembly line faces an uncertain outlook
Brazilian aerospace company Embraer manufactures the A-29 Super Tucano. Aircraft intended for the U.S. market are assembled in Jacksonville, Florida, where SNC then installs mission equipment for the United States and certain foreign military sales customers.
Embraer has warned that the Jacksonville line could be at risk if demand fails to materialize. The company also operates a separate Super Tucano production facility in Brazil.
SNC and Embraer did not comment before publication.
The aircraft has also been pitched as a counter-drone platform
The U.S. Air Force has not bought the A-29 in significant numbers for its own use, though it acquired the aircraft for allies, including the Afghan armed forces, before the Taliban takeover.
In recent years, amid growing concern about unmanned systems, Embraer and SNC have marketed the Super Tucano as a lower-cost option for countering drones.
