The federal government will soon take possession of the first batch of six A-29 Super Tucano aircraft which have departed the United States of America en route Nigeria.The fighter jets departed from the US on Wednesday and are expected in Nigeria anytime soon.
The Federal Government in February 2018 placed an order for 12 Super Tucano aircraft at a cost of $496million.The fighter jets are expected to boost the operations of the military in its anti-terrorism war against Boko Haram and splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province, in Nigeria’s North-East.
Air Force Military Type Certificate.This aircraft has a strengthened airframe to sustain higher loads and increase fatigue life to 8,00012,000 hours in operational environments; a reinforced landing gear to handle greater take-off weights and heavier stores load, up to 1,550 kilograms (3,420 lb); Kevlar armour protection; two internal, wing-mounted .
50 cal and machine guns (with 200 rounds of ammunition each).The aircraft has capacity to carry various ordnances on five weapon hard points including Giat NC621 20 mm cannon pods, Mk 81/82 bombs, MAA-1 Piranha air-to-air missiles (AAMs), BLG-252 cluster bombs, and SBAT-70/19 or LAU-68A/G rocket pods on its under wing stations.
The aircraft has a night-vision goggle-compatible ‘glass cockpit’ with hands-on-throttle-and-stick controls; provision for a datalink; a video camera and recorder; an embedded mission-planning capability; forward-looking infrared; chaff/flare dispensers; missile approach warning receiver systems and radar warning receivers; and zero-zero ejection seats.The structure is corrosion-protected and the side-hinged canopy has a windshield able to withstand bird strike impacts up to 270 kn (500 km/h; 310 mph.