Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded a two-year contract to sustain the Lebanese Air Force's fleet of six Embraer A-29B Super Tucanos on September 30.
The contract awarded has a value of $14.02m and includes training devices, mission planning/debrief systems, line replaceable units, alternate mission equipment, ground support equipment, test equipment, commercial technical publications, and associated spares to provide follow-on sustainment. Work is due to be carried out at Fort Walton Beach in Florida with a expected completion date of September 2024.
The Lebanese Air Force's 7 Squadron operates six A-29B Super Tucanos in the light attack role from Hamat nr Wuajh al-Hajar Air Base with a mission of light attack. The fleet has a capability to be equipped with both guided and unguided rockets, laser-guided bombs and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Lebanon received its first two A-29Bs in October 2017, followed by the remaining four aircraft in May 2018. These deliveries came less than three years after the acquisition contract - worth $462m - was signed in 2015
The original procurement deal included two spare PT6A-68A turboprop engines, eight AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispensing systems, 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS), eight AN/AAR-60(V)2 missile launch detection systems, ferry support, and personnel training in the US.
This personnel training commenced in March 2017 as a Lebanese pilot took to the backseat for instruction on the A-29B, carried out by an instructor pilot from the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, Georgia, in March 2017. A total of 12 Lebanese pilots completed training in the US before returning to Hamat to operate the A-29B in-country.
