A-29 Super Tucano Light Attack Aircraft Being Pitched as Drone Hunter

Current and future operators of A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft could use them to shoot down incoming drones, according to manufacturer Embraer. There is already something of an emerging trend when it comes to the idea of employing light attack planes in the drone hunting role. This has been enabled, in large part, by the combat-proven effectiveness of specially-configured laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets in the air-to-air role against drones, developments that TWZ has been first to report on in many cases.

Embraer outlined the potential of the A-29 as a flying drone-killer in a press release today. The Super Tucano is a two-seat single-engine turboprop aircraft in widespread service globally, both as a trainer and a light attack platform. The aircraft’s standard configuration includes two .50 caliber machine guns, one in each wing. The plane also has the ability to carry various guided and unguided munitions, and other stores, on up to four underwing hardpoints and another one under the center of the fuselage. A-29s can be equipped with one of several sensor turrets containing a mix of electro-optical and infrared cameras, as well as laser spot trackers and/or designators, under the forward end of the fuselage, as well.

A stock picture of an A-29 Super Tucano. USAF

“Relying on A-29 features in operation and new sensors, including specific datalinks for receiving initial target coordinates and queueing, the Electro-Optical/ Infra-Red (EO/IR) sensor for laser tracking and designation, as well as the laser guided rockets and the wing-mounted .50 machine guns for neutralizing targeted Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), the Operational Concept (CONOPS) defined by Embraer will allow current and future A-29 operators to add counter drone missions to their operational profiles whenever needed,” according to Embraer’s release.

“The continued challenges in modern warfare and the recent conflicts worldwide have shown the urgent need for solutions to fight drones,” João Bosco Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, also said in a statement. “The A-29 is the ideal tool to counter UAS effectively and at low cost, adding to the aircraft’s already extensive mission set that includes close air support, armed reconnaissance, advanced training, and many others.”

As Embraer’s press release makes clear, laser-guided rockets are central to the concept of employing the A-29 in the counter-drone role. The APKWS II from BAE Systems, specifically, has already emerged as the present leader in this domain. All APKWS II rockets consist of three main components: a 70mm rocket motor, one of several standard warhead options, and a laser guidance section in between.

U.S. Air Force F-16s first began employing air-to-air-optimized versions of those rockets, also known as Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance (FALCO), against drones in the Middle East last year, which TWZ was first to report. The service had previously announced successful testing of APKWS II rockets in the air-to-air role, also including against subsonic cruise missiles, back in 2019, something we also reported on first.

FALCO rockets have now become the U.S. Air Force’s go-to aerial counter-drone weapon for a growing a number of aircraft types beyond the F-16, including the F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Warthog ground attack plane. The rockets offer significant cost and magazine benefits over traditional air-to-air missiles against these threats, as you can read more about here. As a basic point of comparison, the unit cost of a complete APKWS II rocket is in the low tens of thousands of dollars, while AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) have individual price points around $500,000 and $1 million, respectively. One or more seven-shot 70mm rocket pods can also be loaded on the same pylons that could otherwise accommodate just one AIM-9X or AIM-120.

This picture of an F-15E Strike Eagle with a load of 42 rockets in six seven-shot pods underscores the magazine-depth benefits the weapon offers. CENTCOM

BAE Systems is also now developing a version of APKWS II that incorporates an additional imaging infrared seeker to improve its capabilities against air and ground targets. The rockets also have a demonstrated surface-to-air capability against drones, along with their ability to be used in air-to-surface and surface-to-surface modes. There are other types of laser-guided 70mm rockets on the market, as well. The companies that manufacture them are increasingly offering them specifically as counter-drone interceptors, whether fired from the air or down below.

Pairing air-to-air-optimized laser-guided rockets with the A-29 offers additional potential benefits, especially given the low operating cost and logistical footprint of the Super Tucano. Those aircraft could be deployed to a larger array of operating locations compared to fast-flying tactical jets, including ones closer to intended operating areas, which could help further reduce demands for supporting resources, especially aerial refueling tankers. From those sites, A-29s could also still perform light attack, armed overwatch, and other missions, in addition to hunting for drones. Laser-guided rockets could be carried as part of mixed ordnance loads, offering flexibility even on a single sortie.

A rocket-armed Philippine Air Force A-29 Super Tucano. Philippine Air Force

As Embraer’s release notes, the Super Tucano also has the guns in its wings, something that is not found on many other light attack planes on the market today. At the same time, scoring gun kills against small aerial targets, even ones moving relatively slowly, can be challenging, and for fast jets, even downright dangerous.

There are limitations to utilizing the A-29 in the counter-drone role. Compared to fast jets, Super Tucanos would be relatively slow just in terms of getting on station, let alone responding to threats across a potentially broad area of the battlespace. A lack of a built-in radar would create challenges for independently spotting and tracking targets at longer ranges. A-29 crews would therefore be heavily dependent on third-party information for cueing and general guidance, which can be facilitated via datalink or voice communications. Embraer’s press release speaks to this directly in mentioning the importance of “specific datalinks for receiving initial target coordinates and queueing.”

The limitations would be more pronounced in barrages of multiple drones, but also multiple Tucanos could be deployed for the same cost as a single fighter. Super Tucanos could also leverage their ability to loiter to provide more focused coverage, especially against smaller groups of incoming threats, in a particular zone.

Regardless, as mentioned, Embraer explicitly highlighting the potential utility of the A-29 in the drone-hunter role points to an emerging trend when it comes to light attack aircraft. There were reports last month that Textron has been presenting a similar concept of operations involving its AT-6 Wolverine, the light attack version of its T-6 trainer line, flying counter-drone patrols. The AT-6 was also notably the first fixed-wing aircraft to fire an APKWS II rocket, through an industry-funded demonstration more than a decade ago.

The video below shows past U.S. Air Force testing of the A-29 and AT-6 in the light attack role.

TWZ has previously raised the idea of the Air Force employing its new OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft, which are heavily modified AT-802 crop dusters, to hunt uncrewed aerial threats.

Earlier this year, images also emerged of a Zlin Z-137 Agro Turbo crop duster in Ukraine armed with R-73 heat-seeking air-to-air missiles, likely intended to help with intercepting incoming one-way-attack drones. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have also been using other light aircraft types with ad-hoc weapons, including individuals simply wielding small arms, in this role. Engaging drones with door-mounted machine guns on helicopters is another tactic being employed in that conflict.

Moravan Z-137 Agro Turbo turboprop aircraft, modified for R-73 air to air missile launches, was spotted in Ukraine. Most likely used to intercept Shahed kamikaze drones or reconnaissance drones. pic.twitter.com/mLjhkiZvIw

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 8, 2025

The crew-member of a Ukrainian helicopter shots down a Russian Shahed-136/Geran-2 long-range OWA-UAV with a side-mounted M134 Minigun rotary machine gun. pic.twitter.com/H4yTSnTbPT

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) November 12, 2025

The scale and scope of drone threats in the conflict in Ukraine, as well as globally, only continue to expand. This is especially true when it comes to the introduction of faster-flying jet-powered long-range one-way-attack drones, as well as the general integration of more and more artificial intelligence and machine-learning (AI/ML) driven capabilities.

U.S. operations in and around the Middle East over the past two years or so have also underscored the particular challenges and dangers posed by high-volume attacks that can easily overwhelm defensive capacity. This reality was a key factor in the U.S. Air Force’s crash efforts to expand the number of platforms capable of employing APKWS II rockets in the air-to-air role. Other countries are now looking at adding similar laser-guided rocket capability to their tactical jet fleets.

With all this in mind, proposals like the new one from Embraer to add light attack aircraft, particularly ones armed with laser-guided rockets, as another cost-effective layer of anti-drone defense only look set to grow.

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