Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc.(fka TADF)

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Thinking about possible SuperT contracts...

Embraer is a Brazilian company who has made SuperT's for the Brazilian Airforce. Colombia followed suit and bought some. Other Latin American companies are also looking at the SuperT. The US order if it would occur would be 10x the typical 20 units ordered.

Embraer is into pilot training. They are trying to get this airplane to market ASAP before any competition can get entrenched. My bet is that provide superb training at a give-away price.

I would also think the Brazilian Air Force is also on-board to help Brazil help Embraer regarding sales to other neighboring countries.

So what does that mean?

It means that for flight training in South America, its most likely to be done by Brazilian entities - maybe some Colombian too. There is money and prestige to be made here.

Now think if you are Argentina about to buy some SuperT's and pilot training. Won't you want to be trained by pilots that have many combat hours on the SuperT? They would have discovered all the little idiosyncrasies that could save your bacon during a combat mission. I would want to be trained by the best combat pilots that have flown missions in this type. So that would be Brazilian Air Force and Embraer pilot training. I'm sure retired BAF pilots move on to Embraer as instructor pilots.

So where does that leave TADF with their one SuperT and virtually no hours and zero combat experience?

TADF surely cannot provide advanced combat training. Mere certification training in the type is more like it.

And even if pilot training is the objective, to do so with only a single plane is highly problematic since modern planes have significant scheduled down-time. You would need two planes minimum to provide daily instruction.

I hope the SuperT doesn't get parked along side that IL-78...

I would be interested to hear other "business plans" for this airplane. If the US picks the Beech, that will be very, very bad. And I am dreading this due to the political climate in Washington regarding US jobs. Even Fogleman sticks up for the Beech.