US May Buy Brazilian Fighters

[unhappycamper]

US May Buy Brazilian Fighters
June 03, 2008
Associated Press

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is participating in preliminary negotiations to sell the U.S. government eight 314-B1 Super Tucano light attack and training planes for use in Iraq, the company said June 2.

Embraer also confirmed that it sold one of the propeller-driven planes to a subsidiary of Blackwater Worldwide, the world's largest security contractor and the target of harsh criticism for its conduct in Iraq.

The plane maker is offering Washington the Super Tucano in a tender process opened by the U.S. government, according to an Embraer spokesman who declined to be named in keeping with company policy.

Embraer, or Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, has sold 99 of the planes to the Brazilian military and 25 to neighboring Colombia's air force - mostly to fight drug trafficking along the countries' Amazon border, the spokesman said.

A light fighter like the Super Tucano - which the Brazilian military outfits with .50-caliber machine guns under each wing - could be used to patrol Iraq's borders with Iran and Syria, where the U.S. military says militants and weapons are routinely smuggled.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/us-may-buy-brazilian-fighters.html



uhc comment: This is the same plane Blackwater bought.

[lisa58]

1. How many is a Brazilian?

couldn't resist.

[unhappycamper]

2. I knew that was coming. lol

[formercia]

3. It's probably cheaper and faster than the Predator UAV

Hopefully, there will be fewer civilians killed as a result of having eyes on board.