First Four Airplanes To Arrive In Country Later This Month

The first four A-29 Super Tucano airplanes are set to be delivered to Afghanistan later this month. The planes are among 20 that were ordered under a contract awarded in 2013.

The Sierra Nevada Corp. and its subcontractor Embraer won the contract over a competing bid from then Hawker-Beechcraft. The Air Force awarded the contract initially in 2011, and again in 2013 after reopening the competition following a protest from the Wichita planemaker.

Bloomberg Business reports that the planes will be flown by four Afghan pilots who are currently undergoing training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. In an email, U.S. Air Force Captain Eydie Sakura, a spokeswoman for the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, said that the unit should be ready to conduct operations beginning in April.

Officials in the U.S. and Afghanistan see the airplane as being a key component in building a capable air force in Afghanistan.

More than $2.5 billion has been spent since fiscal 2010 to train and equip the Afghan air force and maintain its aircraft. The Pentagon says financial support will continue to be necessary for several years.

FMI: www.af.mil