Nigerian Air Force to Receive 12 A-29 Super Tucano Aircraft by October 2021

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will receive the full order of 12 A-29 Supper Tucano aircraft by October 2021 from Embraer Defence Security Incorporated (EDSI).

Six of the aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by July and the remaining six in October this year, Colonel Authur Ford of the U.S. Air Force Fighters and Advance Aircraft Directorate stated while briefing members of the Nigerian National Assembly (NASS) Joint Committee on Defence and Air Force (JCDAF) who are currently visiting EDSI facilities in Jacksonville, Florida, a NAF statement said Friday.

The NAF posted photos of the aircraft with members of the JCDAF posing before them at the EDSI production facility.

Colonel Authur Ford stated that 10 out of the 12 aircraft were ready for delivery while 2 were undergoing modification and integration to NAF specific operational configuration.

Senator Michael Nnachi who leads the JCDAF queried the long duration of time from the date of full payment to expected date of delivery, which he estimated to be between 3 to 4 years. In response, Col Ford informed the team that the long duration was due to the challenges of configuring the aircraft to fit NAF’s required specifications.

In February 2019, EDSI and its partner Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced they were awarded a contract to deliver 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force.