US Air Force ends its A-29 Super Tucano use: the three Test Pilot School aircraft go into storage

The US Air Force is permanently withdrawing from service the three A-29 Super Tucano aircraft it had, the only examples of the type in its inventory. The Brazilian manufacturer Embraer’s turboprops had been part of the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California since 2024. A base spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, November 3 that the aircraft have now been retired, explaining that the A-29 “was thoroughly evaluated, but did not meet the needs for which the Test Pilot School intended it”.

The school, the same spokesperson added, is now looking for other solutions for an aircraft that can viably cover spin and mission-systems training.

Storage with no return to flight

The decision had already been signalled in a notice of intent posted by the Air Force Test Center on the federal procurement platform SAM.gov on October 29. It provides for a sole-source award to the American SNC (Sierra Nevada) of a firm-fixed-price framework agreement for on-demand maintenance and ground handling of the three aircraft. The A-29s are already sealed in storage at Edwards and, the notice says, “are not expected to return to flight for Air Force use”.

SNC will repair fuel, hydraulic and oil leaks, change tyres and tow the aircraft around the base. Work to return them to flight status and restore airworthiness is excluded from the contract. The agreement will run for one year, with options to extend for two more years, and interested parties can respond until November 13.

From special operations to the Test Pilot School

The three aircraft were originally bought for Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), which handed them over when its operational needs changed. After time at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, they arrived at Edwards in July 2024. They were then the first aircraft to join the school’s fleet in almost 30 years, as the announcement from the 412th Test Wing noted. The Test Center’s director of design and programmes, Michael Banzet, spoke of making use of a “$63 million taxpayer investment”.

The school wanted the A-29 mainly for stall and spin training, since the aircraft performs many types of spin and stays airborne for over an hour and a half. It also planned lessons with the MX-15 electro-optical turret, the Link 16 data link and laser-guided weapons, in order to reduce the flight hours of the T-38 and F-16. In July 2025 Capt. Molly Ellinger became the first school student to fly the Super Tucano. In March 2025 SNC had taken over support for the fleet, also on a sole-source basis, under a contract of up to $13.1 million.

The Super Tucano in the US

Embraer assembles the A-29 on a production line in Jacksonville, Florida, where SNC then fits mission equipment for the US and some foreign customers through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The US Air Force never bought a significant number for its own use, but it acquired 26 aircraft for the Afghan armed forces before the Taliban returned to power. SNC has also been in the news in recent days for another reason, having withdrawn from the US Navy’s competition for its new trainer jet; see our report.