Standing Up

The first students, including Ahmad, arrived four months later, giving Hogan enough time before their arrival to train his cadre of instructor pilots and maintainers on the unfamiliar aircraft. To do this, staff from the aircraft’s manufacturer trained the teaching crews, informing them on the nuances of the A-29.

Can Embraer’s Modest Super Tucano Hack It in Afghanistan?

Last week, when I was being shown around Embraer’s new U.S.-assembled A-29 Super Tucano with a group of journalists, the first thing that caught my eye was a big covered something sticking out of each wing. In an age of remote control drones and smart bombs, that couldn’t possibly be a machine gun, could it? It sure enough was said our Embraer guide. The A29, in a throwback to the days of mano a mano air combat, has a single .50 caliber gun in each wing, although not the same Browning model used in just about every U.S.-made aircraft that carried such weapons, but an FN Herstal.