The service presently possesses six Super Tucano jets, which are operated and maintained by the 15th Strike Wing. Embraer, a Brazilian company, has established a fresh agreement with the Philippine Air Force to deliver maintenance services for the A-29 Super Tucano fleet. The freshly completed deal will consist of a broad variety of maintenance services for more than 200 pieces of equipment for the Philippine Air Force’s A-29 aircraft.
The Philippine Air Force operates a group of six A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced training planes that were delivered to the service in 2020. Embraer was initially awarded the contract in December 2017. After completing a rigorous evaluation and validation process, the aircraft were chosen by the Philippine Air Force. The Tucanos are operated and maintained by the 15th Strike Wing of the Philippine Air Force.
The fleet’s primary tasks include light attack, reconnaissance, close air support, air-to-air interception, advanced training, and counter-insurgency operations. The new aircraft also provide improved air power capabilities to the air force in support of the country’s modernisation strategy.
According to Embraer, the A-29 aircraft has been used by more than 15 air forces around the world and the fleet had accrued 500,000 flight hours by last year. Embraer won a contract in 2019 to provide a total of 12 A-29 Super Tucano jets to the Nigerian Air Force.
Rinaldo Piubeli Prado, Vice President of Customer Support & Aftermarket Sales for Embraer Services & Support Worldwide Defence & Security, said, “Staying close to our customers and supporting them in their missions is core to what we do. We are honoured to assist the Philippine Air Force in deploying the A-29 and using it to its fullest potential by leveraging our customer support team in Asia Pacific.”