EMB-314 Super Tucano

Embraer · Brazil · first flew 1999 · fighter

The Super Tucano is a turboprop light-attack and advanced trainer combining a rugged airframe with modern sensors and weapons for counter-insurgency work.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsLow-mounted, tapered
E — Engines1 × turboprop, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage11.38 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Look for a single five-blade turboprop with a large spinner, a long greenhouse tandem canopy, low tapered wing bristling with pylons and a conventional tail.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Embraer developed it from the EMB-312 Tucano, flying the definitive single-seat prototype in 1999 with a much more powerful PT6A engine and an armoured cockpit. It has since become the West's default light-attack turboprop.

Variants

The A-29A is the single-seat attack version and the A-29B the tandem two-seater used for training and combat; numerous export configurations differ in avionics and datalinks. The type has been assembled under licence in the United States.

Where you'll see it

Operated widely across Latin America, Africa and by the USAF for partner training, it has not been adopted by the RAF, though the UK has studied light-attack turboprops of this class.

Related aircraft

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