Super Tucano News

[Carlos Lima]

Viram a hélice do ST?

[]s
CB_Lima

[thelmo rodrigues]

Viram a hélice do ST?

[]s
CB_Lima

Como eu escrevi é o "Rei das Selvas colombianas", o terror dos guerrilheiros e narcotraficantes!!!

O mensageiro da morte que faz chover fogo e sangue nas selvas sul-americanas""!!! (Talha style)

[Bolovo]

Viram a hélice do ST?

[]s
CB_Lima

Acho que não é do ST não. Acho que o AC-47 Avion Fantasma deles...

http://www.scramble.nl/mil/8/colombia/g ... ntasma.jpg

[Pablo Maica]

Eles operam em dupla não?

O ST atacando diretamente os alvos e o Fantasma fazendo um perimetro de fogo em volta pra finalizar eventuais fujões.


Um abraço e t+

[Junker]

Altering the Course of a War With LAA
Light Attack Aircraft Can Alter the Course of a War

By Ed Timperlake


Credit : Super Tucano Landing, Embraer, 2010

September 24th, 2010 - The world has taken notice of an important and successful military attack in a nasty war raging in Colombia, South America. The event has a lesson for the American Military especially in Afghanistan.

Recently, Colombia has killed a key FARC leader with a strike task force. As reported by AFP on September 24th, 2010:

The military said that 72 warplanes, including 30 helicopters, low-flying Super Tucano attack planes and Israeli-built Kfir jets, were involved in the attack, dubbed “Operation Sodom.” Also killed were three senior rebel leaders, including a member of the FARC directorate, a regional military commander, and the head of the group’s urban militias, according to the military.

Second Line of Defense is fortunate to have recently interviewed Colonel William Buckey USMCR (ret), now Vice-President of North America for Embraer, the maker of the Super Tucano, as well as the Embraer Brazilian leadership team. These interviews will appear soon on SLD. Willam Buckey’s interview is important because his last assignment before retiring was serving as the senior Marine Aviator building out Kandahar for the President’s surging of troops into combat. He and his NATO Team were nominated for the prestigious Collier Trophy for their efforts, and the airfield at Kandahar is now the largest and busiest single runway operation in the world. Colonel Buckey has provided his insights into the combat need for a light attack aircraft and recent events in South America have just shown that the combat effectiveness of such an approach can alter events for winning in a very dramatic way.

As the French news report about a successful operation to schwack some very bad individuals, it shows the Super Tucano has yet again demonstrated its world class reputation as an extremely capable combat tested light attack aircraft. In the U.S. Military, three very capable American combat Generals know of the Super Tucano: General Mattis, General McCrystal, and General Petraeus. All have to be “platform agnostic” in support of the concept of operations in a program called Imminent Fury II. All three men are warriors who want fielded capability to help win in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, Congress delayed or permanently ended IF II and that is not good.

* General Mattis then Commanding Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) testified about a special forces effort called operation Imminent Fury II. The Department of Defense supported the effort and sent a request to Congress to act. The entire action from testinomy to request took just a month, which is relative light speed. But nothing occured. Then a letter was made public in the Washington Times by Bill Gertz that showed General McCrystal solidly behind the rapid fielding of Imminent Fury II. General Petraeus in the chain-of-command as then CG Central Command forwarded the letter to the Chairman. But nothing happened.

* It turns out that, unlike the recent combat success in Colombia, Imminent Fury II was stopped by Congressional Action. An immediate request for a combat program was not approved by Congress because IF II was going to use the Super Tucano. The ST is in direct competition with the attempt by the Hawker Beach to convert their T-6 Texan trainer into a combat aircraft–the AT-6. The T-6 Texan trainer (the basis for the proposed AT-6) is manufactured in Kansas by Hawker Beach a Canadian-owned firm currently in dire financial straits. There have been reports that, in order to stave off disaster, management has been considering moving some production lines to Mexico.

* It now appears, looking at the Congressional reporting, that stoping IF II was part of a bigger effort to give time, so a combat version of the T-6 could be developed and tested. Unfortunately the Afghan War goes on and time is short. Congress has earmarked millions to try and get the T-6 Texan, a US Air Force trainer aircraft, up to combat standards ahead of a pending fly-off competition for equipping the emerging Afghan National Army Air Corps. This fly off will be a competitive test of ready-to-fly, non-developmental tactical light attack planes that are currently available. The “AT-6B” version of the trainer is not yet ready. The non-combat certified AT-6B’s competitor is Brazil’s Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, the FARC killer that has been operational for several years. including several combat missions schwacking FARC guerillas in the dead of night.

Colonel Buckey and Embraer have a good story to tell to appear soon on our website.

http://www.sldinfo.com/?p=11834

[wagnerm25]

"THE FARC KILLER"

Excepcional essa parte.

[Carlos Mathias]

Pois é, FARC KILLER...

[Wingate]

schwacking FARC guerillas in the dead of night.

The Brazilian Predator....

Wingate

[thelmo rodrigues]

El Salvador estuda comprar aviões da Embraer
Associated Press
11/10/2010 19:04


SAN SALVADOR - O presidente de El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, disse nesta segunda-feira que o seu governo estuda comprar aviões da empresa brasileira fabricante de aeronaves Embraer. O governo pretende destinar as aeronaves para as Forças Aéreas de El Salvador.

"A Embraer fabrica um avião que já demonstrou a sua eficácia e mais de 30 Forças Armadas no mundo usam esses aviões, que é o Super Tucano", disse o presidente em coletiva de imprensa local.

Mauricio Funes explicou que o Super Tucano "é muito mais barato do que outras aeronaves e, portanto, vamos fazer esforços para comprá-los", afirmou sem detalhar o número de aviões que poderão ser adquiridos.

(Associated Press)

[WalterGaudério]

El Salvador estuda comprar aviões da Embraer
Associated Press
11/10/2010 19:04


SAN SALVADOR - O presidente de El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, disse nesta segunda-feira que o seu governo estuda comprar aviões da empresa brasileira fabricante de aeronaves Embraer. O governo pretende destinar as aeronaves para as Forças Aéreas de El Salvador.

"A Embraer fabrica um avião que já demonstrou a sua eficácia e mais de 30 Forças Armadas no mundo usam esses aviões, que é o Super Tucano", disse o presidente em coletiva de imprensa local.

Mauricio Funes explicou que o Super Tucano "é muito mais barato do que outras aeronaves e, portanto, vamos fazer esforços para comprá-los", afirmou sem detalhar o número de aviões que poderão ser adquiridos.

(Associated Press)

Se levar pelo menos 10 unidades tá mais do que bom, e o ST finalmente ficará próximo de romper as 200 unidades vendidas

[cabeça de martelo]

Parece que Angola está interessada em meia dúzia de super Tucanos.

[Carlos Mathias]

Vai todo mundo ter que esperar.
A FAB/TAB/USAAF-Br vai receber 200 ST e acabar com essa gastação de dinheiro com avião à jato.

[Rodrigoiano]

Mais 100 ST Naval para equipar o A-45 Califórnia!

[Penguin]

Pilot Report: Hawker Beechcraft AT-6B
AviationWeek.com | Jul 30, 2010 | Fred George

Jul 30, 2010

By Fred George fred_george@aviationweek.com

Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) is morphing its T-6B Texan II military training aircraft into the AT-6B, a welterweight contender in the U.S. Air Force’s upcoming Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) competition. The attack variant utilizes a beefed-up T-6 airframe, capable of carrying 3,350 lb of external stores on six wing hard points. To help offset the combat version’s additional weight and drag, Pratt & Whitney Canada is developing a 1,600 shp version of the PT6A-68 turboprop engine for the AT-6, similar to the 1,600 shp -68 engines that power Pilatus PC-21 and EMB-314 Super Tucano.

For the aircraft’s role as a weapons delivery platform, the AT-6 is being fitted with the A-10C Thunderbolt II’s Central Interface Control Unit (CICU) mission computer that will tie the aircraft’s avionics suite into a net-centric combat environment and give it a MIL-STD-1760 “smart weapons” interface. The aircraft will feature a night vision-compatible cockpit, plus the HOTAS sensor and weapons controls carried over from the second-generation T-6B Texan II trainer. It also has an Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS) and Situation Awareness Data Link (SADL). These functions integrate the aircraft into U.S. Department of Defense’s digital command and control battlefield network that links virtually all air and ground warfare assets.

The development roadmap for 2010 includes adding a helmet-mounted cueing system. An autopilot later will be added to reduce workload.

The U.S. Air Force has said that any LAAR candidate must have tandem seats with dual controls so that it can also function as an advanced trainer. The aircraft also must have zero / zero ejection seats. “Desired requirements” include a 30,000 ft service ceiling, implying that the aircraft should be pressurized, and the ability to cruise at 180 KTAS or faster at 10,000 ft. The AT-6B meets all those requirements.

Prototype versions of the aircraft also are being fitted with an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di electrical optical/infrared/laser designator system. Provisions to accommodate Raytheon’s Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS) also are being developed.

Self-protection features include addition of light armor to the crew and engine compartments, foam lining for the fuel cells to slow or seal leaks, along with AAR-47 IR missile detection and ALE-47 active counter-measures systems. More advanced electronic counter-measures may be offered in production aircraft, depending upon customer requirements.

The AT-6B will be able to operate autonomously from austere runways at forward operating bases. Line service personnel have demonstrated 11 minute turn-around times for the T-6 in the under-graduate pilot training environment. AT-6B should be capable of similar quick turns, except for loading or exchanging external stores.

The result is a Close Air Support (CAS) and Counter-Insurgency (COIN) aircraft that is priced under $10-million and that can be operated for less than $750 per hour, including engine reserves, HBC officials assert. The support burden is expected to be less than three maintenance staff hours per flight hour, particularly in light of fleet commonality with the more than 600 T-6 Texan II trainers in service around the world.

The airframe also has a basic 18,720-hour service life, assuming 4.5G to 5.5G limits are observed. After reaching the 18,720 hour benchmark, the aircraft is eligible for a service life extension program that potentially could double or triple its economic life.

Such cost considerations are critical to the U.S. military, which rapidly is wearing out its legacy combat aircraft, such as F-16, A-10 and F-15, in CAS and COIN operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. AT-6B, HBC officials claim, can perform many of the missions of legacy attack and fighter aircraft, thereby reducing wear on them. This will enable the service to extend the useful lives of its comparatively high-priced assets.

Structure and Systems

The AT-6B’s airframe is all high-strength aluminum and other metal alloys, except for composite landing gear doors and some fairings. Most airframe structures are built from formed and riveted sub-components. A few parts are single-piece machinings that are fabricated by computer-controlled mills. As a result, the design lends itself to field repairs necessitated by combat damage.

The aerodynamics of the 175 sq ft wing are identical to those of PC-9, an aircraft that uses Pilatus-modified NASA 64,000 series airfoils with reflexed trailing edges to move forward the center of pressure to reduce Mach-induced, nose-down pitching moments and high-speed roll control forces.

The wing spar caps and web of AT-6B are reinforced to accommodate a 10,500 lb MTOW, which is nearly one and one-half times the max weight of the T-6B. Raytheon Aircraft Co. (RAC), HBC’s predecessor, used most of the engineering data from the Pilatus PC-9, the aircraft from which the T-6 evolved, to make provisions for the wing hard points. There are six under-wing stations, the inboard and mid-board stations are plumbed to accommodate 461 lb-capacity external fuel tanks.

RAC contracted with Alkan, a French military aircraft equipment manufacturer, to develop a special external stores pylon for its first-generation AT-6A, essentially a weaponized version of the 6,500 lb MTOW T-6A Texan II trainer.

Various pylons and stores configurations were tested for flutter modes, aerodynamic loads and safe separation characteristics by USAF’s Seek Eagle office at Eglin AFB in Florida. RAC subsequently built a block of lightweight AT-6A weapons-capable aircraft in 2001 for the Hellenic Air Force.

The AT-6B, in contrast, is a considerably more capable aircraft than AT-6A. Structural reinforcements increase maximum zero fuel weight to 6,184 lb, which is 684 lb higher than T-6A and 334 lb more than T-6B. That’s an essential improvement, considering that estimated empty operating weight, with typical mission equipment, armor and sensors, will be 5,725 lb, or 500 lb heavier than the T-6B Texan II trainer.

HBC’s new LAAR aircraft will retain T-6B’s 6,900 lb MTOW, not including external stores. The firm’s engineers also are exploring a rough field modification kit for the aircraft that might use King Air C90GTx’s larger wheels, tires and brakes. However, a final decision has not been made.

The earlier AT-6A, similar to all trainer versions of the aircraft, is powered by an 1,732 shp PT6A-68 engine, flat-rated to 1,100 shp up to ISA+20C or 12,000 ft at ISA temperatures. But the AT-6B is powered by a 1,918 shp -68D, flat-rated to 1,600 shp, resulting in considerably narrower flat rating margins for operating at high density altitude airports such as those in Afghanistan. A wider chord, four-blade Hartzell prop is fitted to absorb the additional power. The new engine and prop are 73 lb heavier, but nose ballast will be removed, resulting in virtually no empty aircraft weight gain.

A single-channel digital Power Management Unit (PMU), running Do-178B Level A software, automatically limits maximum torque, internal temperature and gas generator rpm to provide care-free engine handling, including starting. A companion Propeller Interface Unit (PIU), linked to the PMU, controls prop rpm, pitch and feathering functions. For back-up, there are conventional hydro-mechanical fuel and prop governing functions controlled by the power control lever (PCL).

The aircraft is fitted with a Trim Aid Device (TAD) rudder bias system that compensates for prop-induced p-factor as a function of power setting, torque output and pitch attitude. The system works well for aircraft having a clean wing, but the AT-6B will have a yaw damper to compensate for the additional destabilizing effects of external stores.

Most aircraft systems are carried over from T-6B. The flight controls are manually actuated through single-channel push-pull rods and cables.

The electrical system is being upgraded from a 300 amp to a 400 amp starter-generator to handle the additional loads of net-centric command and control intelligence / surveillance / reconnaissance (C2ISR) equipment, plus sensors and aircraft self-protection equipment. The engine also has a permanent magnet alternator that assures electrical power for the PMU and PIU in the event of main generator failure. The 42 amp/hour sealed lead acid main battery and five amp/hour emergency battery are retained from T-6B. Internal wing fuel capacity will be reduced by 3% because of the tank sealing foam lining. HBC is exploiting unused storage areas in the wing to increase fuel capacity by 240 lb to increase total fuel to 1,307 lb using single-point pressure refueling. Over-the-wing refueling can increase capacity by 100 lb.

Fuel is transferred from the external wing tanks to the internal wet wing by electric pumps. Jet pumps, using motive flow supplied by the engine-driven pump, transfer internal wing fuel to the feeder tanks and to the engine.

A single 3,000 psi engine-drive hydraulic pump provides power to actuate the landing gear, gear doors, flaps, speed brake and nose wheel steering. A high-capacity accumulator provides pressure to extend the landing gear and flaps in the event of an engine-driven pump failure.

Cockpit pressurization, oxygen and air-conditioning systems are carried over to the AT-6B unchanged from the trainer version. The cockpit is unpressurized to a 7,500 ft cabin altitude, and maintains that cabin altitude until reaching a maximum 3.6 psi differential. An onboard oxygen generating system (OBOGS), using only P3 engine bleed air for power, supplies the crew masks. An emergency oxygen bottle can supply the crew in the event of an engine failure. A 22,000 BTU, vapor-cycle air-conditioning system provides cooling. Engine bleed air is used for cabin heating.

Martin-Baker Mk 16 zero/zero ejection seats are fitted to the aircraft, and are capable of handling crew weights of 138 lb to 271 lb. In the event of ejection, pyrotechnic cords fracture the canopy and the crew ejects through it.

Self-Protection and Smart Weapons

AT-6B’s LAAR design priorities are driven by the current realities of irregular warfare. Close Air Support (CAS) for troops on the ground and Counter Insurgency (COIN) against Al Qaeda and the Taliban have become top priorities. The doctrine assumes a “permissive environment” with virtual air supremacy and no hostile aircraft or enemy air defense system. Thus, the aircraft doesn’t require a high power to weight ratio, sustained high G maneuvering capability or high top speed while carrying external stores. LAAR aircraft are only designed to be protected from small arms fire and short-range, man-portable air-defense surface-to-air missiles (Manpads).

HBC plans to fit the crew and engine compartments with light armor, capable of protecting against small arms rounds up to 7.62 mm. Several types of armor are being evaluated for weight versus protection. A final choice has not yet been made.

To protect against Manpads, the aircraft also will have an AAR-47 missile warning system that can automatically trigger an ALE-47 chaff and flare dispenser.

The baseline T-6B has an open-architecture, dual-channel CMC Electronics Cockpit 4000 with two integrated avionics computers that link to various components using 1 MHz MIL-STD-1553 data bus, ARINC 429 and / or high-speed Ethernet. The main components include a GPS / inertial reference system, up front control panel, three 5 x 7-in. portrait configuration displays with line select keys, HOTAS controls and an F-14B Sparrow Hawk HUD with continuously computed impact point, continuously computed release point and dive toss ground air-to-ground modes, plus certain air-to-air targeting functions not needed for the LAAR mission.

Unlike those used in earlier conflicts, the new generation of CAS / COIN aircraft must have precision-guided munitions to minimize the risk of collateral damage to non-combatants and friendly troops. HBC teamed with Lockheed-Martin to adapt the A-10C’s MIL-STD-1760 precision guided weapons system to the AT-6B. The heart of the system is the CICU, mounted in the aft fuselage. This box ties into EPLRS- and SADL-compatible air-to-ground and satellite digital communications radios to link the aircraft to other team players in a net-centric C2ISR environment. The CICU is capable of supporting live video, real time digital targeting, a helmet mounting cueing system and remote laser illumination of targets. The CICU can be tied into a variety of onboard sensors, including a L-3 Wescam MX-15Di electro-optical / infra-red / laser range finder, illuminator and designator ball mounted on the bottom of the fuselage.

Such capabilities enable AT-6B crews to see the positions of targets in relation to friendly forces and non-combatants and to stream back video images to C2ISR decision makers to ensure they’ve positively identified and targeted the correct targets.

The aircraft’s smart weapons include Paveway II laser guided 250 lb and 500 lb bombs, laser guided 2.75-inch rockets and GPS guided munitions, plus Hellfire missiles. Conventional arms include twin .50 caliber RN Herstal HMP-400LC guns, Mk 81 250 lb and Mk. 82 500 lb bombs and LAU-68/131 rocket pods.

Flying Impressions

In mid-June, AVIATION WEEK had an opportunity to strap into the front seat of AT-1, the first AT-6B prototype, for a 1:40 hr demonstration of its handling qualities, performance potential and sensor suite, plus simulated weapons deliveries capabilities. Our IP for the flight was Derek “Turk” Hess, HBC’s director of AT-6 programs.

AT-1 was powered by the legacy 1,100 shp -68 engine of the Texan II trainer, rather than the 1,600 shp -68D that will be installed in production aircraft. At-1, though, was fitted with six under-wing pylons, two external fuel tanks and the EO/IR/laser ball, so its drag was representative of production AT-6B CAS/COIN aircraft. Performance, as a result, was significantly weaker than it will be in production aircraft.

In addition, the aircraft’s CICU was not yet fully integrated with all three cockpit displays. The C2ISR secure data-link radios were fully operational, but they were turned off because their functionality is classified. CICU data could be displayed on the left and right cockpit MFDs, including selected sensor of interest and sensor position of interest for remote targeting. Aircraft primary flight, aircraft systems, engine instrument and crew warning system data could be displayed on the center and right MFDs. EO/IR sensor imagery was displayed only on the right MFD. Production aircraft will have displays that can be configured for any combination of CMC Cockpit 4000 and CICU information.

AT-1’s empty weight was 5,325 lb, including EO/IR sensor ball, six pylons, two external fuel tanks and CICU. Zero fuel weight was 5,725 lb including crew and equipment. With 1,200 lb of internal fuel, ramp weight was 6,925 lb and computed takeoff weight was 6,875 lb. Beech Field’s elevation is 1,408 ft and the OAT was 98F / 37C that day. A clean T-6B would have had a 3,253 ft takeoff distance under such conditions, assuming a rotation speed of 93 KIAS and flaps 23 degree setting, according to the FAA AFM. To compensate for the additional weight and drag of the prototype aircraft, we planned a 105 KIAS rotation speed, thereby extending the takeoff distance to 4,981 ft, according to calculations by HBC flight test engineers.

After we strapped into the ejection seats, pre-start checks were straight forward. We checked fire warning, oxygen, standby instrument and fuel boost systems, among other items, and we were ready to start. We slowly advanced the power control lever (PCL) until a “start ready” CAS annunciation appeared on the MFD. Only then could we initiate the start sequence. Production versions of the aircraft will have a throttle detent for “start ready” to expedite the procedure. PCLs in those aircraft also will have a 1,400 shp mil power detent, in addition to the 1,600 shp max power stop, to reduce engine wear and fuel consumption.

At 60% N1 gas generator rpm, we moved the PCL to idle and turned on the generator, aux battery, avionics, air-conditioning, sensor and weapons systems. Air-conditioner cooling was impressive, providing a comfortable cockpit environment a few minutes after engine start.

Pre-taxi checks took less than two minutes. Using the upfront control panel, we selected comm frequencies and the transponder code. The aircraft’s hydraulically actuated nosewheel steering, controlled by the rudder pedals, provides easy and precise ground handling. Differential braking only is needed to maneuver in tight quarters.

It required light right rudder pressure to maintain directional control on takeoff roll, in spite of the TAD being operational. Acceleration was tame, about what one might expect from a turboprop with a 1:6 power-to-weight ratio. The 12 knot higher rotation speed produced a crisp liftoff. Gear retraction took only about six seconds. After flap retraction, we settled into a 140 KIAS climb to east, mainly using the HUD as the primary flight reference. Climb rate was 500 to 1,000 fpm.

Once level, we accelerated to 200 to 210 KIAS at full power, noting that airframe rumble was appreciable because of disrupted airflow around the EO/IR ball and external stores. A clean-wing T-6B, in contrast, will cruise at 250 KIAS under the same conditions with 1,100 shp.

Hess then simulated a target assignment from a secure, digital data link C2ISR network. Target position was displayed on the left Tactical Awareness Display (TAD) as a “sensor point of interest” (SPI). SPIs can also be designated to indicate the locations of friendly forces and non-combatants. AT-6B can use the designated SPI to slew its EO/IR ball to the selected position, thereby enabling both its crew and other C2ISR team members to see images of the target, non-combatants and / or friendly forces. Topographical charts, a digital terrain elevation database and other base maps are available as underlays on the TAD.

As we flew east over El Dorado lake, Hess made a quick transition from simulation to real-time targeting. He slewed the EO/IR ball to lock onto a spillway tower at the dam and designated it as an SPI. On the right hand MFD, we could see EO video of the tower in color, and as black-on-white or white-on-black IR images. Such imagery could have been relayed to a C2ISR network, had we been operating with other net-centric team members in an irregular combat environment.

After the demonstration, we climbed to 10,000 ft and commenced a series of aerobatic maneuvers to evaluate the handling and performance characteristics of the aircraft. As the aircraft could only reach 210 KIAS in level flight because of the external stores drag, we had to gently dive the aircraft to accelerate to the desired 250 KIAS entry speed to commence a loop. Using a 3.5G pull, the aircraft quickly decelerated to 120 KIAS over the top and we had to relax stick pressure at the onset of pre-stall buffet. Clearly, the aircraft will benefit from its upcoming 1,600 shp -68D upgrade that will help offset drag.

Roll rates with external stores, even with empty external tanks, are modest if only ailerons are used. Higher roll rates may be achieved by augmenting the movement with plenty of rudder, but the aircraft only returns to balanced flight on its own after a prolonged period with the TAD engaged. A yaw damper function is being developed that should help keep the aircraft in balance flight during robust maneuvering.

We also stalled the aircraft in both clean and approach flap configurations. High angle of attack maneuvers are one of the aircraft’s strong suits. In both maneuvers, we held back the stick throughout the stall break, at about 90 KIAS clean and 85 KIAS flaps approach. There was no loss of roll control or wing drop tendency.

Upon completion of the air work, we headed to Beaumont, Kan., for a simulated laser-guided rocket attack on enemy combatants holding up at a building in the vicinity. Hess designated the site as an SPI and locked on the EO/IR ball. We circled the simulated target at a five mile radius, thereby reducing risks of small arms fire and Manpads, as though we were operating in a combat environment. It also was apparent that using even small bank angles causes the bottom of the wing to mask the view of the EO/IR ball at such ranges. Consequently, we flew the aircraft in a polygon pattern with straight-and-level segments, separated by small, sharp turns, to maximize EO/IR viewing time. We also could have used flat, rudder turns to keep the target in view of the EO/IR ball.

We flew south of Beaumont about ten miles to commence our attack run. Using HUD guidance, we began a shallow dive and simulated weapons release. We pulled off the run and banked sharply away from the target. The laser designator on the EO/IR ball remained locked on the simulated target as we maneuvered out of the area. This would have enabled the precision guided munitions to reach their mark.

Returning toward Beech Field, we simulated an engine failure as we neared El Dorado Airport (KEQA). We set 6% torque to simulate a fully feathered prop, slowed to the best glide speed of 125 KIAS and flew to a high key position, 3,500 ft AGL above Runway 15. We extended the landing gear, maintained 125 KIAS and flew to a low key position, downwind and abeam the intended landing spot, descending to 1,500 ft AGL. At low key, we extended the flaps to approach and continued the turn to final. Once landing was assured, we extended full flaps, slowed to 120 KIAS and aimed for the runway numbers. We flared just above the pavement, but initiated a go-around and climbed back to pattern altitude for touch-and-goes.

The AT-6B proved to have landing pattern speeds and characteristics similar to those of an entry level, light business jet. We adjusted technique for the typical tight race-track pattern and steep glide path needed to minimize exposure to small arms fire when landing at a forward operating base in a combat environment. Using 45 degree turns and ten to 15 degree nose down pitch attitudes, we could hold approach speeds of 125 to 130 KIAS, descending from 1,500 ft AGL abeam to short final with little or no power.

The aircraft is easy to land and it has virtually no tendency to float, if the crew maintains desired angle of attack to touchdown. This results in landing speeds of 100 to 106 KIAS at typical operating weights. Notably, the landing gear is stressed to absorb descent rates up to 780 fpm, so only a slight flare is needed to check a steep approach to touch down.

We returned to Beech Field and landed with 600 lb of fuel.

“Imminent Fury” – Jumpstart for the Competition

In 2007, the U.S. Navy determined it needed find, fix and finish, exploit and analyze (F3EA) aircraft platform, fitted with a full intelligence / surveillance / reconnaissance (ISR) package that could operate with U.S. special forces in Afghanistan. Similar to USAF’s LAAR requirements, the aircraft would have to have to be survivable against small arms and Manpads.

Navy Special Warfare, acting under orders from the undersecretary of the Navy, launched the Imminent Fury (IF) program, a classified concept demonstration operating mainly in the restricted areas near NAS Fallon and Nellis AFB, among other locations.

Sources close to the IF program told AVIATION WEEK that the IF team, being “platform agnostic,” initially looked at a number of candidate aircraft, including Hawker Beechcraft’s proposed AT-6. But at the time, a prototype AT-6 was at least 18 months away from first flight. The Vietnam-era OV-10 Bronco also was under consideration, but none could be found in time to participate in the program.

Serendipitously, EP Aviation, a unit of Blackwater Worldwide, had purchased an Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano that was due to be delivered in the U.S. in second quarter 2008. When the IF team learned of this, it arranged to lease the Brazilian aircraft to participate in Phase I of the IF program. The IF team still wanted to evaluate other candidate aircraft, especially if they were to become available during Phase I. As it happened, the Super Tucano was the only candidate F3EA aircraft to participate in the IF program.

Using a federated design approach, the IF team left intact the Super Tucano’s stock avionics package, including its mission computer. It added a completely separate, U.S.-spec ISR package, including an ARC-210 secure, multi-spectral, voice and data link radios, a Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) full-motion video system and Link 16-compatible LCD kneeboard displays, along with a Star Safire FLIR and later a Brite Star II FLIR. The goal was to outfit the aircraft with F3EA / ISR capabilities as quickly as possible.

In first quarter 2009, the Brite Star II FLIR was removed and replaced with an L3 Wescam MX-15 EO/IR/ Laser designator ball to check for compatibility.

During IF, Super Tucano met all objectives, according to the same sources. The twin .50 caliber FN Herstal machine guns, mounted internally in the wings, along with 2.75-inch rocket pods and laser guided and unguided Mk 81 / Mk 82 were qualified aboard the aircraft during IF. The aircraft also flew 5+ hr surveillance missions with two external tanks installed.

USAF officials subsequently were briefed on the IF program, which then sent its own Air Combat Command pilots to fly and evaluate the aircraft. As a result, USAF requested to participate in the $44-million Phase II of the Navy IF program, if it were funded and launched. However, in May 2010 the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense turned down the funding request.

The delay of IF Phase II gave the AT-6B time to catch up with Super Tucano. The USAF issued its own irregular warfare LAAR acquisition program with a Capability Request for Information (CRFI) in July 2009. The CRFI sought to “explore cost-effective acquisition options” for LAAR aircraft, with first deliveries to begin in FY 12 and an initial operating capability in FY 13. Up to 100 LAAR aircraft could be procured, depending upon Department of Defense budgets.

As noted, the CRFI preliminary specifications for LAAR require that each competitor have a zero / zero ejection seats, OBOGS, NVG-compatible cockpit, HUD and ISR systems, among other requirements. The LAAR specification’s “desired requirements” also include a 30,000 ft operational altitude that virtually requires retractable landing gear and cockpit pressurization and a cruise speed of at least 180 KTAS at 10,000 ft with typical external stores.

HBC’s AT-6B and Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano are the only aircraft in the $10-million price range in development or production that meet the LAAR specifications. Boeing tendered a upgraded OV-10(X) as a potential LAAR aircraft and Air Tractor put forward the AT-802U CAS / COIN aircraft. Even though the EMB-314 Super Tucano has proven its capabilities during IF Phase I, Embraer doesn’t have a U.S. defense contractor with which to partner and, as a foreign firm, it cannot enter the LAAR competition.

The company still claims its aircraft is superior because it was designed from scratch as a CAS platform, not as a derivative of a trainer. Compared to AT-6B, Super Tucano has a larger aft fuselage to accommodate additional avionics, 19% more wing area and a 13% higher MTOW with external stores. And Embraer officials note that the Super Tucano already is in service with Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and in Colombia where they say it has proven its ISR and combat capabilities.

Meanwhile, HBC officials counter that AT-6B’s being a close derivative of the T-6 Texan II trainer is one of its strengths, not a shortcoming. More than 620 T-6 trainers have been delivered in the last decade, the aircraft is in service with the U.S., Canada, Greece, Israel and Iraqi militaries and the fleet has logged more than 1.2-million flight hours. The officials assert that the firm has a well-established, world-wide logistics network that supports the T-6 and other special missions aircraft, including the ISR King Air 350 in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thus the AT-6B would have broad-based factory support.

This year, the prototype AT-6B, along with a T-6C, was given a chance to demonstrate its capabilities at the biennial Joint Expeditionary Forces Experiment (JEFX 10) at Nellis, the ninth such event conducted by the U.S. Air Force. C2ISR aircraft, fighters and tankers, plus CAS airplanes and helicopters, participated in JFEX 10, which focused on irregular warfare.

The overall objectives for JEFX ’10 were to increase the effectiveness of ground and air forces to track and engage several, mobile targets in an urban setting, decrease the time required to locate, positively identify and destroy hostile forces, minimize collateral damage and share multiple sources of data between friendly air and ground forces in a near real-time Link 16 SADL net-centric environment.

The Air National Guard and Air Reserve Command Test Center at Tucson sponsored the participation of the AT-6 at JEFX 10. The top level goals for the aircraft were to demonstrate its capabilities to stream live video of targets and position data to friendly forces in real time, engage simulated targets using digital data links in a net-centric environment and to operate from an unimproved 6,000 ft runway at an improvised forward area refueling point (FARP) established at Delamar Lake, 65 miles north of Nellis. AT-1 was operated at weights up to 8,500 lb from the improvised strip. Dry FARP hook-up tests, using an MC-130 Talon II, were successfully conducted.

Detailed results of JEFX 10 remain classified, but HBC officials claim that the firm’s AT-6B and T-6C prototypes completed 100% of assigned missions and that the AT-6B demonstrated the C2ISR capabilities with EO/IR/Laser ball streaming near real-time video to other team members in a Link 16 / EPLRS / SADL network. It also flew simulated attack missions on both fixed and moving targets.

This was a milestone for the AT-6B. JEFX 10, according to USAF, strictly was a pay-to-participate endeavor. Since Embraer had no U.S. defense contractor or military organization to sponsor the participation of Super Tucano in the exercise, there could be no competitive fly-off between the two arch-rivals.

And so, in spite of its demonstrated strengths during Phase I of the U.S. Navy’s IF program, Super Tucano has yet to prove to the USAF that it has equivalent C2ISR net-centric irregular warfare capabilities. LAAR is an USAF competition, and the AT-6B’s apparent success in JEFX 10 thus puts it in the lead among potential competitors. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and not much time remains before USAF selects a winner.

[Lord Nauta]

Vai todo mundo ter que esperar.
A FAB/TAB/USAAF-Br vai receber 200 ST e acabar com essa gastação de dinheiro com avião à jato.

Em minha opinião a FAB poderia adquirir mais um lote de ST (monoplace) elevando o total para pelo menos 120 unidades, além de criar mais um esquadrão na região amazonica equipado com esta aeronave.


Sds

Lord Nauta