Key point: The Super Tucano is affordable, light, and durable- just what you need to fight insurgents. High-tech weapons have a place, but why use them when other ones will do?

Members of Congress would like to see a more expansive use of the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft in various global hotspots as a way to support US Special Operations Forces and continue needed counterinsurgency efforts.

The A-29 is turboprop light attack aircraft designed and built by Embraer which has been helping the Afghan Air Force battle insurgents for many years in Afghanistan. It has received rave reviews regarding its performance in theater as a platform which can support ground troops fighting enemies or insurgents.

[b]Given its success, some lawmakers and foreign governments are now hoping the US can increase its Foreign Military Sales of the plane to better help allied forces in vital areas of conflict around the globe.

“There are plenty of countries that have an extremist threat -- the Middle East and South and Central Africa. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) is asking for this for Nigeria, Somalia and Libya. It is a perfect platform for where we are fighting,” Rep. Michael Waltz, (R) Fla., told Warrior.

US-trained pilots with the Afghan Air Force have been attacking the Taliban with A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, a platform which seems well-suited for the Air Force’s intended mission scope. Its integrated weapons and laser-firing technology enable the platform to both lay down suppressive fire in support of advancing infantry and pinpoint targets for precision strikes. This mission envelope seems to enable a wide sphere of operational possibilities, to include counterinsurgency and great power challenges.

“They have long loiter time and can stay close to the fight. They are interoperable in a very close-knit way with operations on the ground,” Waltz said.

Since SOCOM forces often operate in as many as 50-countries or more, there does appear to be a pressing need for light attack air support, Waltz maintains.[/b]

A-29s are turboprop planes armed with one 20mm cannon below the fuselage able to shoot 650 rounds per minute, one 12.7mm machine gun (FN Herstal) under each wing and up to four 7.62mm Dillion Aero M134 Miniguns able to shoot up to 3,000 rounds per minute.

Super Tucanos are also equipped with 70mm rockets, air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9L Sidewinder, air-to-ground weapons such as the AGM-65 Maverick and precision-guided bombs. It can also use a laser rangefinder and laser-guided weapons.

The Super Tucano is a highly maneuverable light attack aircraft able to operate in high temperatures and rugged terrain. It is 11.38 meters long and has a wingspan of 11.14 meters; its maximum takeoff weight is 5,400 kilograms. The aircraft has a combat radius of 300 nautical miles, can reach speeds up to 367 mph and hits ranges up to 720 nautical miles. Its range of 300 nautical miles positions the aircraft for effective attacks within urban environments or other more condensed combat circumstances.

There are a variety of respects in which A-29s can change the equation when it comes to counterinsurgency. First and foremost, they can save lives. If overhead fire support is able to identify and attack pockets of enemy fighters, fewer ground troops have to enter into enemy fire. Also, an overhead asset of this kind can be an intelligence node able to send targeting information and data regarding troop movements.

When it comes to actual close-in counterinsurgency combat, fighters often obscure themselves in defilade or in buildings, requiring a need for precision strikes. The air-ground Maverick precision weapon can use a laser rangefinder and other kinds of advanced targeting technologies - providing what could be called an indispensable element of attack support. Naturally, advancing ground forces can benefit from air support while advancing on enemies for direct targeting or suppressive fire to enable forces to maneuver.

It is not yet clear exactly which areas might pursue Foreign Military Sales, however the prospect is increasingly likely in areas where counterterrorism operations continue.

Kris Osborn is a Senior Fellow at The Lexington Institute. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has a Masters in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. This first appeared in 2019.



https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/cheap-and-deadly-why-special-forces-use-29-super-tucano-fighter-126001

SarkinYarki:
It's a good aircraft for providing close combat air support troops on an offensive against an enemy without sophisticated anti aircraft capabilities and air superiority ... I doubt it will be useful to special forces because it removes the element of surprise with it's noisy turbo prop engines and propeller wash .. It's most suited in supporting ground troops last mile offensive after the enemies anti aircraft and other defense systems have been taken out by other Assets ..

Sierra Nevada to supply A-29 Super Tucano to US Air Force Special Operations Command

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced today it will deliver an additional A-29 Super Tucano for the Combat Aviation Advisor (CAA) mission of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

The aircraft will be the third A-29 light attack combat and reconnaissance aircraft delivered under the existing contract, which was announced earlier this year.


https://www.defenseworld.net/news/26956/Sierra_Nevada_to_supply_A_29_Super_Tucano_to_US_Air_Force_Special_Operations_Command#.XtIlWzpKjIU

NGpatriot:

SarkinYarki:


Yes they can call it in when the element of suprise has been removed just like they always did with the A10 warthogs but what I meant is that most special forces operations depend 70 percent on the element and a turbo prop is too noisy to be part of their plan till after the element of suprise is exhausted and the fire fight has erupted ..Well there is no doubt that a well armed Tucano will be a nightmare to tag tag Boko Haram

JOHNSONSOLAFUNMI:
Deep state destroyed nothern Africa for human trafficking, easy arm flow into terrorist and bandits hand, so they can sell their weapons for us and in turn, convert Sahel Africa into Middle east 2.0

Still can’t phantom why Obama was given a Nobel peace prize, I hope God sees all the atrocities been committed against us
We were not exploited like this during colonial era, the matter tire me

I don’t care bout your opinion, terrorism is an ideology, not an object that can been defeat with millions of fighter jets... education defeats an ideology faster than any weapon

godofuck231:
this is what a close air support looks like,

call sign

"overlord"

NGpatriot:


Do you know more than the US Congress and the US Air Force?
No, you don't

NGpatriot:


Do you know more than the US Congress and the US Air Force?
No, you don't

NGpatriot:
[s][/s]



Start your own topid to wail about Obama and your hatredgor him.

godofuck231:
nope but do you know what black is like from grey?
lol, colour blindness is a bitch!

NGpatriot:
[s][/s]


Dumb and meaningless rubbish.

SarkinYarki:
It's a good aircraft for providing close combat air support troops on an offensive against an enemy without sophisticated anti aircraft capabilities and air superiority ... I doubt it will be useful to special forces because it removes the element of surprise with it's noisy turbo prop engines and propeller wash .. It's most suited in supporting ground troops last mile offensive after the enemies anti aircraft and other defense systems have been taken out by other Assets ..

Mulatta:

All present aircraft are noisy, the only reason F-16 and co will appear quiet is because they fly at high attitude unlike the tucano whose role is too provide close air support so it needs to fly closer to the ground resulting in it noise then heard. Am sure insurgents will be too busy battling with ground forces for them to hear it coming

SarkinYarki:


I was talking about support for special forces not regular units before the fire fight erupts ..Drones and stealth Helicopters are more suited for supporting special forces these days .

Mulatta:

I believe it has a place for both regular unit and special force

godofuck231:
this is what a close air support looks like,

call sign

"overlord"

SarkinYarki:


Don't get me wrong No doubt it's very useful for any fighting force ...I was referring to Special Force clandestine stealth ops but when the element of suprise is exhausted they can call them in to provide support like the always called in the the A10 warthogs

Mulatta:

Speaking of the A-10, if you were to pick btw it and tucano

SarkinYarki:


Definitely the A10 bro because of its twin turbo fan engine and of course the devastating Avenger Machine Gun

Mulatta:

I wish we had them, they fly with pride

SarkinYarki:


Has America ever sold that plane to any country?

godofuck231:
just like ur mama, lol

Mulatta:

If any country shows interest in buying their used ones I think they will sell

SarkinYarki:


And they really have a lot of used ones

One hundred (100) GBU-12 (500lb) Paveway II (PW-II) Tailkits

One hundred (100) GBU-58 (250lb) PW-II Tailkits

Four hundred (400) Laser Guided Rockets including Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS)

Two thousand (2,000) MK-81 (250lb) bombs

Five thousand (5,000) 2.75 inch Hydra 70 Unguided Rockets (70mm rockets)

One thousand (1,000) 2.75 inch Hydra 70 Unguided Rockets (practice)

Twenty thousand (20,000) Rounds, .50 Caliber Machine Gun Ammo

1. This sale involves the release of sensitive weapons software technology information to Nigeria. Software associated with the following weapons will be included in the aircraft operational flight program to support a future weapons capability.

2. Sensitive and/or classified (up to SECRET) elements of the proposed A-29 sale to Nigeria includes the hardware and associated software with: Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser guided rockets, Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-12/58 Paveway II laser guided tail kits, and Mark (MK)-81/82 general purpose bombs.
3. The Hydra 70 Rocket System is a modernized version of the 2.75 inch (70 mm) unguided rocket body with the MK66 Rocket Motor.

4. The APKWS is a low cost semi-active laser guidance kit developed by BAE Systems which is added to current unguided 70 mm rocket motors and warheads similar to and including the Hydra 70 rocket. It is a low collateral damage weapon that can effectively strike both soft and lightly armored targets. APKWS turns a standard unguided 2.75 inch (70 mm) rocket into a precision laser-guided rocket, classification up to SECRET.

5. GBU-12/58 Paveway II (PW-II) Tailkits: 500-lb (GBU-12) and 250-lb (GBU-58) are laser-guided ballistic bombs (LGBs) developed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The LGB is a maneuverable, free-fall weapon that guides to a spot of laser energy reflected off of the target. The LGB is delivered like a normal general purpose (GP) warhead and the semi-active guidance corrects for many of the normal errors inherent in any delivery system. Laser designation for the weapon can be provided by a variety of laser target markers or designators. The tailkit consists of a laser guidance kit, a computer control group (CCG) and a warhead specific Air Foil Group (AFG), that attach to the nose and tail of MK 81 and MK 82 General Purpose (GP) bomb bodies to create an LGB. This sale includes the tailkits to transform Nigeria's existing 500-lb and 250-lb GP bomb bodies into GBU-12s and GBU-58s respectively. Nigeria is also buying additional GBU-58s, 250-lb (MK-81) guided bombs. The overall weapon is CONFIDENTIAL.

6. AN/AAQ-22F Brite Star Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Multi-Sensor Targeting System developed by FLIR. The system is a five field-of-view (FOV) large format thermal imager, three FOV color daylight camera with laser designator for terminal guidance of LGBs and IR-guided rockets. The system is classified as UNCLASSIFIED.

7. This sale is necessary in furtherance of U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification. Moreover, the benefits to be derived from this sale, as outlined in the Policy Justification, outweigh the potential damage that could result if the sensitive technology were revealed to unauthorized persons.

8. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal are authorized for release and export to the Government of Nigeria.

Mulatta:

All present aircraft are noisy, the only reason F-16 and co will appear quiet is because they fly at high attitude unlike the tucano whose role is too provide close air support so it needs to fly closer to the ground resulting in it noise then heard. Am sure insurgents will be too busy battling with ground forces for them to hear it coming

SarkinYarki:



Yeah A10 Warthog AKA Flying Gun AKA BRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..The canon on that baby will shake hell any day