African countries order Super Tucano

• Tweet

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 29 (UPI) -- Brazil's Embraer Defense and Security is supplying its A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the military forces of three African countries.

The Super Tucano is a turboprop aircraft used for close air support, counterinsurgency and aerial reconnaissance as well as for pilot training.

The countries that ordered the aircraft are Burkina Faso, which already has three A-29s used in border patrol; Angola, which has ordered six planes; and Mauritania.

Embraer said Angola plans to use the aircraft in border protection operations, while Mauritania will use the aircraft for counterinsurgency operations.

The total value of the contracts is $180 million, including logistics, training and spare parts.

"The Super Tucano is highly efficient and presents low operating costs," Embraer Defense and Security President Luiz Carlos Aguiar said. "Its capability for surveillance and counterinsurgency missions makes it ideal for service on the continent of Africa."

The Super Tucano has a top speed of 367 miles per hour and a combat range of more than 500 miles. It can be armed with machine guns, rockets and missiles.