Zitat:The aircraft is certified to carry rockets, free fall munitions, air to air missiles (AIM-9L class), air to ground missiles (AGM-65 class), and laser-guided bombs including the Enhanced Paveway II. The 1553 Databus does allow for employment of satellite-guided munitions.

Zitat:Weapons used by the aircraft include the AIM-9, free fall munitions up to 750 pounds, and LGBs in the Paveway or Enhanced Paveway class (Colombia only). Rockets in the 70-millimeter or 66-millimeter class may be carried in seven or 19-tube launchers.

The aircraft has two internal .50-caliber guns with a total of 500 rounds of ammunition.

Zitat:From two austere locations, with as little as 40 minutes between events, the aircraft was maintained, refueled, reconfigured between ISR and strike configurations, rearmed with multiple loads of rockets and guns, and launched / recovered during day and night operations. FARP evolutions were limited only to the Creech AFB fuel truck timelines, but were always accomplished in under 20 minutes from touchdown to launch.

Incorporating organic refueling with fuel bladders by Imminent Fury maintainers would have cut each of the FARP evolutions from 20 minutes to 7-10 minutes.

Zitat:The AT-6C uses a modified A-10C Operational Flight Program, leveraging all of the A-10’s stores management, datalink, map and helmet mounted cueing system interfaces. Commonality with the T-6B is over 70 percent.

Zitat:The AT-6C carries almost as much fuel as the A-29 despite a smaller airframe, and has accomplished weapons tests with the GBU-12/58 Paveway II, guns, guided and unguided 70-millimeter rockets and Mk-81/82 bombs.

The U.S. configuration used by the Air Guard is fully compatible with night vision devices, and includes SATCOM, SADL and a Gentex Scorpion helmet-mounted sight. It has a MIL STD 1760 databus instead of the 1553B and is fully compatible with GBU-38/54 and GBU-39 weapons

Zitat:The AT-6C has dropped or tested more weapons than all other types of light attack aircraft combined, but lacks U.S. weapons certificates. Weapons successfully dropped or shot from the AT-6 include the Mk-81, Mk-82, GBU-12, GBU-58, AGM-114, 70-millimeter Hydra rockets and three varieties of guided rocket — APKWS II, GATR and Talon.

External gun pods have been fired in air to air and air to ground applications; the pods take up two of the six stations and hold a combined total of 800 rounds of ammunition. The aircraft is compatible with AIM-9X, GBU-38, GBU-54 and GBU-39.

Zitat:The AT-6C proved to be a very rugged and reliable platform, flying 183 out of 184 effective scheduled test sorties. The test team also flew the aircraft to Texas dry lake, near Nellis AFB, Nevada and performed FARP operations while on the lakebed. Additional austere field operations were successfully demonstrated at Truth or Consequences airfield in New Mexico. The aircraft was successfully evaluated for dust intrusion mitigation and assault strip (graded, level, graveled surface with some small ruts) performance. The maintenance man hours per flying hour (2.5) and costs per flying hour ($350) were impressive and unmatched by aircraft in the current inventory providing similar combat capabilities.

Zitat:unit costs are $11-14 million per unit, combat equipped, for a squadron-sized buy with support and training devices.

Zitat:The fuel consumption of the turboprop aircraft is extremely low. The AT-6C fuel consumption at JEFX 10 averaged around 350 pounds per hour for all phases of flight. The A-29 uses the same engine with a different prop, and has demonstrated similar economy.

By comparison, an F-15E will use 390 pounds of fuel in six minutes at idle.

Zitat:US Air Force says goodbye to C-145A Combat Coyote aircraft

The 919th Special Operations Wing has officially flown their last flight with the C-145A Combat Coyote aircraft.

Aircrews from the Air Force Reserve’s 711th Special Operations Squadron departed the Duke Field flightline Dec. 15, 2022, in four C-145A Combat Coyote aircraft for the last time after 10 years of service to Air Force Special Operations Command.

The C-145A is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft with twin vertical fins and a non-retractable tricycle landing gear capable of short takeoff and landings to unprepared runways It is based on the Polish-built PZL Mielec M-28 Skytruck.

Zitat:NEUER EMBRAER-VORSCHLAG

A-29N Super Tucano in NATO-Konfiguration

Embraer kündigte während der LAAD Defence & Security 2023 die Markteinführung einer A-29 Super Tucano in eine "NATO-Konfiguration" an.

Die neue Version des Flugzeugs, die A-29N, wird über Ausrüstungen und Funktionen verfügen, die den operativen Anforderungen der NATO entsprechen, wie z. B. eine neue Datenverbindung und den Betrieb mit nur einem Piloten, so der Hersteller.

Diese Merkmale sollen die Einsatzmöglichkeiten des Flugzeugs weiter erhöhen und beispielsweise den Einsatz bei JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller)-Trainingsmissionen erlauben. Auch die Trainingssysteme werden auf die weltweit anspruchsvollsten Standards aufgerüstet, einschließlich virtueller, erweiterter und gemischter Realität. [...]

Zitat:FIDAE 2024: Embraer sees market for 490 Super Tucanos

Embraer Defence & Security sees a market for up to 490 A-29 Super Tucano trainer and attack aircraft over the next two decades, Embraer president and CEO Bosco da Costa Jr told Janes on 10 April at the FIDAE 2024 airshow in Santiago, Chile.

“We are in touch with several countries around the world, not only here in South America, but we have some potential [customers] in Africa, in Asia, and in Europe as well,” said da Costa. “We are in advanced conversations with countries in Europe [and] in advanced conversations with countries in Asia. I cannot disclose the countries because the defence procurement process does not allow us to do that. But I assure you that we are now in a final stage in some of them.”

Zitat:Portugal selects Super Tucano light attack aircraft

The Portuguese Minister of National Defence, João Nuno Lacerda Teixeira de Melo, has revealed his country's intention to acquire the Embraer Defense & Security A-29 Super Tucano light attack turboprop aircraft. Nuno Melo made the announcement at the National Defence Commission of the Portuguese Parliament on 25 June. He did not disclose a delivery schedule or aircraft numbers.

The Portuguese Air Force is eying an aircraft with the capability to carry out close air support (CAS) and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in theatres of operations with limited infrastructure, as well as advanced pilot training. The acquisition of the aircraft fleet as part of modernisation plan ‘Air Force 5.3' will be funded by approximately EUR206 million (USD220 million), which is included in an EUR851.5 million budget allocated to the Ministry of National Defence and the Portuguese Armed Forces Staff as part of the country's Military Programming Law 2023–2034.

Portugal is seeking between eight and 12 aircraft, the Director of the Engineering and Programs Directorate at the Portuguese Air Force, Brigadier General João Rui Ramos Nogueira, told Janes in November 2023.