An A-29 Super Tucano from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., stops for crew rest and refueling July 17, 2015, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The A-29 provides Afghan Air Force with air-to-ground capabilities and aerial reconnaissance capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephanie Serrano)
BEIRUT — The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale (FMS) for the sustainment of Lebanon’s fleet of A-29 Super Tucanos, with an estimated price tag of $100 million.
According to the announcement made on Friday, the US will equip Lebanon’s fleet of six light attack planes with “Cartridge Actuated Devices and Propellent Actuated Devices (CAD/PADs); engine components, parts, and accessories; aircraft engine and ground handling equipment; major and minor modifications; aircraft components, spares, and accessories.”
Lebanon received the first two aircraft in October 2017. The six aircraft were fully received by the Lebanese Air Force in 2018, funded through American Foreign Military Financing aid. FMF is money the US government gives to other nations that has to be spent on American-made weapons.
“The sale of A-29 sustainment will support the LAF’s [Lebanese Armed Forces] implementation of the cessation of hostilities by providing maintenance to this critical aircraft which is used to conduct Close Air Support as part of ground maneuver operations as well as manned Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance,” according to the announcement.
Sierra Nevada Corporation, who produces the A-29 in conjunction with Embraer at a Florida facility, will be the primary contractor of the work. Assuming no Congressional push-back over the deal, final dollar values may shift during negotiations.
Years ago, the Lebanese armed forces eyed expanding the A-29 fleet up to as many as 12 but these ambitions never came together However, the air force was the first to equip this type of aircraft with laser-guided APKWS missiles.
“The A-29 program is one of a kind […] it is able to perform close-air support and counterinsurgency missions, [and] this aircraft is able to hold different types of weapons according to the mission it handles anywhere on the Lebanese grounds and regional waters in less than 20 minutes,” former Lebanese Air Force Chief Brig. Gen. Ziad Haykal said in an interview in 2019.
Outside of the A-29, Washington has equipped the LAF with MD-530 F+ close air support helicopters and Protector-class patrol boats. This equipment have enhanced Lebanon’s naval and air force capabilities, marking the most advanced capabilities the services have as both operate old hardware.
Earlier in January this year Trump’s administration halted $95 million in FMF aid to the LAF, but the assistance was unfrozen on March. While FMS sales may be funded through FMF assistance, it was not immediately clear if the A-29 sustainment would tap into that money.
Lebanese Armed Forces have taken center stage in the wake of the 13-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese-based armed group Hezbollah. The LAF have deployed extensively in South Litani River Sector, and it was handed Hezbollah warehouses and armament in the area in accordance with the ceasefire deal inked on the 27 of November 2024.
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Author: Agnes Helou
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