The undisclosed customer who purchased six A-29 Super Tucano turboprops, in an announcement made by Embraer on December 30, may be the Philippines.
Days earlier, on December 27, Brigadier Juliano Llarenas, commander of the 15th Strike Wing of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), revealed that the country will buy six more aircraft of the type.
The goal of the second batch is to replace the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco light attack aircraft, in addition to Cobra attack helicopters, which were used until then.
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The announcement was made during the decommissioning ceremony of these aircraft held at Sangley Point Air Base in Cavite City.
The PAF retired the last two OV-10 Broncos, acquired from the US and Thailand, in operation since the 1990s, in addition to two AH-1S.
In 2020, the Philippine Air Force received six A-29 Super Tucano aircraft from Embraer, described at the time as being for use in tactical air support, light attack, surveillance, air interceptions, counterinsurgency missions and advanced training.
Four years later, the FAP is expected to receive six more A-29 Super Tucano units in a second batch to reinforce the defenses of the Southeast Asian country, operating in surveillance and counterinsurgency missions.
With the advance of Chinese presence in the South China Sea, the Philippines has been strengthening its armed forces.
However, the country has struggled to upgrade its armed forces amid problems obtaining funding.
