The Air Force is likely to transfer the three lightweight propeller planes to a foreign country rather than sending them to the bureaucracy-heavy “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

The United States Air Force has officially retired its final three A-29 Super Tucanos, just two years after it reassigned the propeller aircraft to the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California. The Super Tucanos will be placed in long-term storage overseen by the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC).

The Air Force Special Operations Command first bought the three A-29 Super Tucano aircraft in October 2024. The goal was for the aircraft to be used to help assess, train, and to advise partner-nation air forces, and to enhance air attack and close-air support (CAS) capabilities in partner countries.

However, last week, the Department of the Air Force (DAF) released a sole-source contract notice indicating that SNC would provide maintenance for the retired aircraft now in storage at Edwards AFB—even though the Air Force did not intend to fly them again.

“These aircraft are not expected to return to flight for use by the Air Force. However, on-call maintenance support is required to address limited conditions affecting safe storage, environmental compliance, and ground movement within the installation,” the notice read.

In addition, SNC will be required to provide the “management, labor, supervision, tools, equipment, repair parts, consumables, transportation, and travel required to perform on-call services, except for items expressly identified as Government-furnished.”

The performance work statement would require services that are non-recurring but also as-needed and would include such items as fluid repairs and mitigation, repair/replacement of tires, and seemingly minor details like ground towing that are required to “place the aircraft in a safe storage or towable condition.”

SNC has experience maintaining the A-29. In May 2023, the Nigerian Air Force commissioned operations support and storage infrastructure—including storage areas, munition assembly sections, and sunshades for the CAS aircraft—as part of a $500 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) package contracted with SNC.

About the A-29 Super Tucano

• Year Introduced: 2003
• Number Built: ~260
• Length: 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
• Height: 13 ft (3.97 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 7 in (11.14m)
• Weight:
  • Empty: 7,055 lb (3,200 kg)
  • Maximum takeoff weight: 11,905 lb (5,200 kg)
• Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68C turboprop, 1,600 shp
• Top Speed: 368 mph (590 km/h)
• Range: 1,900 miles (3,058 km) with external tanks
• Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft (10,670 m)
• Loadout: Two .50 cal machine guns (internal), various ordnance on five hardpoints
• Aircrew: 1 (2 in trainer version)

Brazilian aircraft firm Embraer first developed the turboprop A-29 in the 1990s as a low-cost close air support aircraft that could operate from austere airfields. Although it certainly couldn’t hold its own against modern fighter jets, it still found operators around the world—notably in South America and Asia, where it was often employed in drug interdiction operations.

The US government even procured 26 A-29s to equip the former Afghan Air Force prior to the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021.

One Thing Is Clear: The A-29 Isn’t Going to the Boneyard

It isn’t entirely clear why the US Air Force has opted to award the sole-source contract to SNC to physically store the aircraft at Edwards AFB rather than sending them to the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, especially as it seems unlikely these aircraft will be returned to service soon.

One factor may be that the A-29 is a highly specialized, low-cost turboprop platform that is widely used by international partners. Keeping the Air Force’s A-29s in an active, contractor-maintained status would make it far easier to eventually transfer or sell them to a foreign ally via Excess Defense Articles (EDA) or FMS.

In addition, sending retired aircraft to the official military boneyard requires an extensive logistical pipeline for long-term preservation and stripping. Because the US Air Force’s entire remaining A-29 fleet consists of only three aircraft, it is likely more efficient to bypass the massive 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) system and contract the original industrial partner to maintain custody over them until their final disposal.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. He has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism, including Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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