Mercenary Air

US Contractors are not subject to US law nor Iraqi law, nor the Geneva
Convention, nor the Freedom Of Information Act.

If Blackwater is acting irresponsibly on the ground, imagine what they
can do in the air.


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/b...s-embraer.html
Brazil's Embraer may sell light training-fighter planes to U.S.
for use in Iraq

By Bradley Brooks
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:02 p.m. June 2, 2008

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is
participating in preliminary negotiations to sell the U.S.
government eight 314-B1 Super Tucano light attack and training
planes for use in Iraq, the company said Monday.

Embraer also confirmed that it sold one of the propeller-driven
planes to a subsidiary of Blackwater Worldwide, the world's
largest security contractor and the target of harsh criticism for
its conduct in Iraq. ...

The Embraer spokesman confirmed the sale of a Super Tucano to
Blackwater subsidiary EP Aviation.

Brazilian law prohibits a private company from selling arms for
use in existing conflicts, but the spokesman said the plane was
not shipped with any armaments and was intended for training
purposes in the U.S.

The plane sold to EP Aviation was bought for US$4.5 million and
delivered at the end of February. Records on the Web site of the
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that EP Aviation
had registered a Super Tucano.

Blackwater, the largest private security company in the world, has
been under scrutiny as a U.S. federal grand jury investigates its
involvement in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians.
Blackwater also is under investigation for possible weapons
smuggling allegations – accusations the company denies.




http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/..._10055829.html
$4.5 million 314 B1 Super Tucano Fighter Plane for counter
insurgency
June 2nd, 2008 - 11:20 pm ICT by David M N James

American company Black-water which is the most prominent private
security company in the world bought one of them last week from
the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. The 314 B1 Super Tucano is a
propeller-driven fighter plane with a market value of $4.5
million. Based on a true story, Black Water has been involved in
deaths in Iraqi since it was contracted as a private military in
Iraqi by the US government.

The 314 B1 is black and grey. It is propeller driven and is very
similar to that of the World-War 2 fighter plane. According to
Embraer, EMB 314 Super Tucano which is also named ALX or A-29 is a
turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter insurgency
(COIN) and pilot training missions.



http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004215.html
This morning Military.com has a story on America's most famous (or
infamous) private security contractor, Blackwater USA, purchasing
a light attack aircraft.

Report Says Blackwater Bought Fighter (AP)

A subsidiary of U.S. military security contractor Blackwater
Worldwide has purchased a fighter plane from the Brazilian
aviation company Embraer, a Brazilian newspaper reported June 1.

First of all the headline is misleading. The Tucano isn't a
"fighter" unless you're a seriously third world air force. But it
has been bandied around as a good answer for a
"counter-insurgency" aircraft. So Blackwater has clearly done some
research (and been reading DT, I have to assume) on the best plane
to fight a dirty war. It's interesting, too, that the company is
buying new. Seems to me there'd be a lot more surplus gear on the
market for them to snap up -- and keep it low profile as well.

It was not clear if it was Embraer's first sale of a
military-style aircraft to a private company. EP Aviation has 33
planes and helicopters registered with the FAA, according to the
agency's Web site, only one of which is from Embraer.
...
It does worry be a bit each time a company like Blackwater
continues this arms build up. Sources tell me they've got a
"Spectre'-like" gunship already, and they've been buzzing around
Baghdad in spec-ops-style armed Little Birds. So what happens when
a contract with the US Gov goes bad -- say Congress pulls funding
from a contract midway through the agreement. Will Blackwater use
this kind of equipment to come collect what it's owed? Seems far
fetched, I know, but Blackwater officials are downplaying the
Tucano buy to curb fears.




http://www.military.com/news/article...r.html?wh=news
The newspaper reported that Blackwater president Gary Jackson said
the plane would be used for training.

The plane sold to EP Aviation did not include the two .50-caliber
machine guns normally attached to the wings.

Blackwater, the largest private security company in the world, has
been under scrutiny as a U.S. federal grand jury investigates its
involvement in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians.
Blackwater also is under investigation for possible weapons
smuggling allegations - accusations the company denies.




http://www.product-reviews.net/2008/...fighter-plane/
The armament is as follows, 2x 12.7 mm FN Herstal M3P machine
guns, 1x 20 mm cannon pod below the fuselage, 4x 70 mm rocket
launcher pods, Conventional and intelligent bombs, 2x AIM-9
Sidewinder or MAA-1 Piranha or Python 3/4 air-to-air missiles and
External stores on 5 hardpoints. The maximum speed is 593 km/h
(320 knots, 368 mph).