TSAMTO, October 5. The last batch of six A-29 Super Tucano light combat aircraft arrived at the Nigerian Air Force base in Kano on September 29, having flown from the United States.
As reported by Defenceweb.co.za, six A-29 aircraft under the control of American pilots took off from the U.S. Air Force base "mOody" on September 15 and were supposed to arrive in Nigeria by September 24, but due to bad weather in Iceland, the flight was delayed. During the flight, the group was accompanied by a Dornier 328 support aircraft provided by Sierra Nevada Corporation.
As reported by TSAMTO, in August 2017, the US State Department approved the potential supply to Nigeria under the Foreign Military Sales program of 12 A-29 Super Tucano light combat aircraft, weapons, related equipment and services worth up to $593 million.
In December 2018, the US Air Force Command signed a contract with Sierra Nevada Corporation and Embraer Defense & Security for the supply of 12 A-29 (EMB-314) "Super Tucano" aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force under the Foreign Military Sales program. The sale value was $329.076 million. The maximum cost of the agreement was agreed in the amount of $344.727 million, taking into account the supply of 6 infrared front-view systems.
The first batch of 6 A-29 "Super Tucano" aircraft, which took off on July 14 from the United States, arrived at the air base in Kano (in northern Nigeria) on July 22, 2021. The aircraft acceptance ceremony took place on August 31 at the Namdi Izekiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The A-29 (EMB-314) "Super Tucano" can be used for basic and advanced flight training, direct aviation support, reconnaissance, and the fight against guerrilla formations. The aircraft was selected by the Air Forces of 15 countries of the world.
