The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to supply Iraq with a number of Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano light strike aircraft to help combat the Islamic State, a government official has reportedly disclosed.
With IHS Jane's having first reported that the UAE had recently ordered up to 24 Super Tucanos, the official told Defense News on 17 January that the emirates will transfer an undisclosed number to the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) "before the end of the month".
On 5 January, the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira: FAB) commander General Juniti Saito said that six of these 24 aircraft were to be supplied from the FAB's own inventory so as to expedite deliveries. While these aircraft were to be handed over to the UAE "immediately", there has been no official word as to whether they have indeed arrived.
As well as the Super Tucanos, the UAE is also reported to be donating up to 10 Dassault Mirage 2000-9 combat aircraft, plus other ground-based weapons systems to the Iraqi government.
Embraer had not responded to a request for comment by the time IHS Jane's went to press, while the UAE government would not provide comment.
ANALYSIS
When the UAE's intentions to procure the Super Tucanos was first revealed by IHS Jane's in early January, it was noted that the emirates already fields 15 Pilatus PC-21 trainer/light strike turboprops, and has 24 IOMAX Archangel light strike turboprops on order.
At that time, it was understood that with the PC-21s being used exclusively in a training role and the Archangels being used by the country's special forces, the Super Tucanos were being procured by the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AF & AD) to fill a gap in the service's light strike capabilities.
However, news that at least some (and possibly all) of these Super Tucanos will instead be diverted to Iraq is in keeping with the UAE's policy of providing such light strike turboprops to its allies as a means of combating the regional Islamist threat.
In late 2013, the UAE AF & AD handed over six IOMAX AT-802 Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA) Block 1 to Jordan (originally in an unarmed configuration, but later provisioned for GBU-58 250 lb precision-guided bombs and/or AGM-114 Hellfire missiles). These are now understood to be operationally deployed by Jordan alongside its two Airbus CN235-100M gunships, and six Cessna C208B Grand Caravan turboprop command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) platforms.
IHS Jane's also understands that the UAE has donated up to 12 of its remaining AT-802 BPAs to Egypt in support of that country's campaign against Islamist militants operating in the Sinai Peninsula. Sources have said that these aircraft are still owned and crewed by the UAE AF & AD, but that they may be transferred to the Egyptian Air Force providing that approval can be granted from the US government.
As for Iraq, the air force already fields 15 Beechcraft Texan II and 20 Lasta 95 turboprop trainer aircraft that can double-up as basic light strike platforms, as well as 11 Hellfire-armed Cessna 208B Grand Caravans. Neither Iraq nor the UAE have personnel trained on the Super Tucano, which opens the question as to who will be flying them, especially given the haste with which the first six are being entered into service.
