Nearly $2 billion A-29 contract creates possibility of larger Afghan fleet

Afghanistan's A-29 Super Tucano fleet could grow larger than previously planned, under a contract Sierra Nevada received this week worth up to $1.8 billion.

The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity award covers "potential procurement, sustainment, modifications, ferry and related equipment," but obligates only about $115,000 up front for a site survey in Afghanistan. Work will run through the end of 2024 at Moody Air Force Base, GA, the Air Force's training site for Afghan A-29 pilots, and at three Afghan air bases. Neither the service nor the company immediately responded to questions Wednesday.

Super Tucanos, equipped with laser-guided and unguided bombs, are a key piece of the Afghan military's growing light-attack capability.

Inside Defense previously reported the Defense Department projected the Afghan Air Force would receive 25 A-29s in total, and the U.S. Air Force has ordered 26 from the SNC-Embraer team so far. One crashed in a training flight at Moody AFB last year; another crashed, killing its pilot, during the Air Force's light-attack experiment at Holloman AFB, NM, in June.