The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has selected the Embraer Defense and Security´s A-29 Super Tucano for its Light Air Support (LAS) program. The ...
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has selected the Embraer Defense and Security´s A-29 Super Tucano for its Light Air Support (LAS) program. The aircraft will be supplied in partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) as the prime contractor, and will be used to conduct advanced flight training, aerial reconnaissance, and light air support operations. After a thorough rebidding process, the USAF considered the overall solution offered by Embraer Defense and Security and SNC to be the superior choice for this critical mission.
“The Light Air Support program is essential to the United States’ objectives in Afghanistan and to our national security. It is a great honor to serve our country by providing the aircraft, training and support for this program,” said Taco Gilbert, Vice President of Integrated Tactical Solutions for SNC’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance business area. “The A-29 Super Tucano with its proven track record is exactly what’s needed for the LAS program where the mission is critical and time is short.”
As specified by the U.S. Air Force, this is a USD 427 million contract for 20 Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft, as well as ground-based devices to support pilot training and all maintenance and supply requirements for the aircraft and associated equipment. The aircraft selected for the LAS program will be built in Jacksonville, Florida.
Under this contract, 20 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to operational air bases in Afghanistan beginning in the summer of 2014 to conduct advanced flight training, surveillance, close air support and air interdiction missions.
Initially awarded to Sierra Nevada Corp in December 2011, the Air Force issued a stop-work order in February 2012 and terminated the contract in March 2012 during the Hawker Beechcraft Court of Federal Claims protest and after an internal Air Force investigation turned up documentation deficiencies in the source selection paperwork.
As part of the Air Force's corrective action, a new LAS source selection team was appointed, source selection training was reinforced across the Air Force acquisition community, and oversight alignment and effectiveness was improved.
The Air Force restarted the LAS acquisition as quickly as possible in order to be responsiveto the Afghan requirement and issued an amended request for proposals in May 2012.
The first aircraft delivery to Afghanistan, as required by the updated request for proposal, is anticipated to begin in Summer 2014 at a rate of two aircraft per month.
The A-29 Super Tucano is a robust, versatile and powerful turboprop aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including close air support and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The airplane is in use with nine air forces around the world and, for more than five years, has employed state-of-the-art munitions on real operational missions. More than 190 Super Tucanos have been ordered, and over 170 delivered. The aircraft has logged more than 180,000 flight hours and 28,000 combat hours. It is equipped with advanced electronic, electro-optic, infrared and laser system technologies, as well as secure radio systems with data links and unrivalled munitions capacity. This makes it highly reliable and allows for an excellent cost-benefit ratio for a wide range of military missions, even operating from unpaved runways and in hostile environments. These characteristics, along with its proven combat record, make it the logical choice for the LAS mission.
About the LAS Program
The LAS mission requires a non-developmental solution that provides the versatility,engagement, and persistence that the warfighter needs in a counter insurgency environment, at a significantly lower cost than fighter jets. That aircraft must offer intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities; deliver a wide variety of munitions (including precision guided weapons); and operate in extremely rugged terrain and austere conditions.
