Dominican Government pays top dollar for low end warplane

The Dominican Government ordered the warplanes from Brazil on January and which at US$9.5 million each, aeronautical specialists consider exorbitant for what they said are non-combat trainers.

The newspaper Diario Libre reports that the aircraft’s characteristics don’t meet the basic requirements to be used in the interdiction of airplanes which violate national airspace, and against the traffic of drugs and undocumented people, as the authorities have said. It says it obtained a manufacturer’s report which indicates the Super Tucano operates only in Brazil, where they are made, with 99, and in Colombia with 25.

The Dominican Republic figures with 10 units, though the Government said it purchased 8 and Indonesia plans to acquire 2.

In January 2006, Venezuela it negotiated the purchase 36 units, but the United States it vetoed the purchase because some of the parts, including those of Pratt & Whitney Canada, are made by United Technologies, based in Hartford, Connecticut.

The A37 Dragonfly jets, of the U.S. manufacturer Cessna, which the Dominican Air Force bought more than 20 years ago, are considered excellent pursuit craft for Third World Countries, for their price and easy maintenance. They have air to air and air-to-surface capability and currently used by several nations in the region


Source : Santo Domingo.- Dominican Today

(www.dominicantoday.com)

Posted : June, 21 - 7:38 AM

Photo : Dominican-Super-Tucanos
[photo www.xairforces.com]

(24.06.2007)