The A-29 Super Tucano is making a first-time appearance at Embraer’s AirVenture booth in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, next week. The Super Tucano was in the news earlier this year after beating Hawker Beechcraft’s T-6 for an Air Force contract worth more than $350 million for 20 airplanes slated to go to the Afghan military, a deal that was later negated after Hawker Beechcraft filed a lawsuit.
The light combat airplane, which was introduced two decades ago, is powered by a single 1,600 SHP fadec Pratt & Whitney turboprop engine. The airplane was designed for strength. It has the ability to withstand +7/-3.5 Gs and the airframe’s fatigue life is 12,000-18,000 hours depending on the type of operation. The Super Tucano is also armored to protect the pilot and has a missile approach warning system (MAWS) and a radar warning receiver (RWR) to alert the pilot of a potential threat.
