Sierra Nevada Corporation and Embraer Defense and Security delivered the first United States-built A-29 Super Tucano light air support aircraft to the US Air Force during a ceremony Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla., according to a company release. It is the first of 20 such aircraft that will eventually call Moody AFB, Ga., home. The base was named the US training location for the Afghan air force’s A-29 pilots and maintainers in late August. “The Super Tucano is a robust and powerful turboprop aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of missions,” said Jackson Schneider, Embraer Defense and Security CEO and president. Jackson noted that over 10-plus years of operations the A-29 has proven “to be a cost-effective airpower solution for nations around the world.”
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.