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The Super Tucano turboprop platform became a perfect fit for the mission of the LAF. It can fulfill both reconnaissance and precision bombing roles. What the A-29 may lack compared to the speed and payload of a jet fighter, it makes up for in its versatility, weapons capabilities, and versatility in the war against terrorism. The A-29 is also a far more cost-effective platform for the LAF. For comparison, a Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle costs around $27,000 per flight hour, while the A-29 Super Tucano costs between $4,000 and $5,000 per flight hour. The Super Tucano was not designed to be an air superiority aircraft, but rather, it is meant to excel at its main design role which is Close Air Support (CAS).
The LAF Super Tucano pilots received flight training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in the United States. The first two Super Tucano’s arrived in Lebanon in October 2017 and final A-29 on order was delivered in May 2018. The LAF quickly went to work incorporating the Super Tucano into their strategic and tactical plans, preparing to employ the aircraft along with other platforms such as the Combat Caravan, the Puma or the Gazelle. Since there are no other air forces that use the Super Tucano and the Combat Caravan together, the LAF had to create new procedures and doctrines to be successful in the battle space. For instance, the Combat Caravan is able to laser designate targets for its Hellfire missiles and can also support designating targets for the Super Tucano to attack.
PUMA WARFARE CAPABILITIES
When the war started in Syria in 2013 the LAF initiated a study to install two ADEN 30mm cannons and two Matra SNEB 68mm rocket pods from its decommissioned Hawker Hunters on to its SA/IAR 330 Pumas. The testing phase took 13 months and started with ground tests before moving on to air testing. Taking a weapon system from a jet fighter and installing it into a helicopter presented a unique challenge for the LAF. Among other hurdles, the new weapons systems had to be integrated with the Puma’s electrical system, new ballistics models had to be calculated and new safety procedures had to be developed.