RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Air Demonstration Squadron will again perform with its Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano turboprops during the Fidae 2022, a biennial international Air Show held April 5-10 in Santiago, Chile, at the Arthuro Benitez International Airport.
Present at the 2018 edition, on which it also flew with the Embraer KC-390 Millennium transport jet over the fair, the Brazilian demonstration team returns after a long training period without presentations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent cancellation of exhibitions in Brazil and abroad.
Based at the Brazilian Air Force Academy, located in Pirassununga, the squadron will conduct a series of events throughout southern Brazil before flying to Chile with the support of a transport aircraft. The presentations will include the team’s best-known maneuvers, such as the DNA, Mirrored Flight, and the “Bomb” maneuver.
Designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aeronautical company Embraer, the EMB-314 Super Tucano has accumulated vast and successful operational experience, with combat records in the South American jungles, in the arid terrain of Afghanistan, and even in the African steppes.
Selected by the United States for the Light Air Support Program, the aircraft has earned the respect of today’s mightiest Air Force and has gone on to America’s allied nations.
Capable of carrying a diverse payload of smart bombs and missiles, the aircraft also features a pair of 12.7 mm machine guns in the wings. Its advanced digital avionics ensure the accuracy of the firing system, which has already proven highly reliable in combat.
The aircraft can receive decoy launchers and armor for self-defense and can also be armed with air-to-air missiles, especially against low-flying helicopters.
In the Brazilian Air Force, in addition to contributing to the training of pilots in the different types of aircraft, the Super Tucano also provides operational training to fighter pilots and gives them professional experience flying real missions in defense of the Brazilian airspace.
The aircraft is used by the Joker (2nd/5th GAV), Scorpion (1st/3rd GAV), Griffon (2nd/3rd GAV), and Arrow (3rd/3rd GAV) squadrons.
After Brazil and Colombia, Chile was the third Latin American country to build a fleet of A-29 aircraft. Between 2009 and 2010, the FACh received twelve units, initially acquired for pilot training in 2008.
The A-29 Super Tucano is a single-engine turboprop aircraft with an advanced human-machine interface, combining precision navigation and attack with low operational cost.
It has cockpit lighting fully compatible with NVG (Night Vision Goggles) standards and infrared image sensors, essential for Close Air Support, Advanced Air Control, and Visual Reconnaissance missions.
In July 2015, the A-29 Super Tucano became the aircraft operated by the Fumaça Squadron in its demonstrations after two years of operational and logistical deployment. It has been performing maneuvers and aerobatics in all regions of the country and abroad for more than six years.
According to the Brazilian Air Force, “the colors of the National Flag on the Super Tucanos have allowed the Air Demonstration Squadron to showcase the capabilities of the national aerospace industry. The aircraft makes all Brazilians proud when they can see and observe a national aircraft performing precise flights, also having the necessary robustness for Brazil’s air defense”.