Peru's air force has withdrawn six Embraer EMB-312 Tucanos from service and sold the trainer/counter insurgency aircraft to Angola.
The deal - which is valued at $4.8 million, including spares and logistics equipment - will allow the Angolan air force to replace Tucanos lost in combat. Angola received eight Tucanos for counter-insurgency duties in 1998.
The south-west African country took another aircraft to replace one lost during delivery, which is thought to have been one of three aircraft built for Paraguay but not delivered because of funding problems. Angola has lost at least two Tucanos during operations against UNITA rebels.
Embraer is understood to have helped broker the deal with Peru late last year, after negotiations for new Tucanos fell through because of the cost of the aircraft. Peru is expected to use the money for maintenance of its remaining 20 Tucano trainers and Schweizer training helicopters.
There are suggestions that Embraer has provided a further two stored EMB-312 airframes and a new EMB-120Brasilia as part of the deal. The Peruvian air force will airlift the aircraft to Angola in pairs, this month, in April and in May.
Source: Flight International
