• Home
  • SHOP
    • Pre-orders – Future Model Releases
    • New Model Arrivals
    • Military Aviation
    • Commercial Aviation
    • Aircraft Kits
    • Airfield Diorama & Vehicles
    • Sale Offers !
    • Offer Of The Week
    • Deal of The Day
  • Military Brands
    • Corgi Aviation Archive
    • Hobbymaster Aviation
    • Aviation 72
    • JC Wings Military
    • Calibre Wings
    • Century Wings
    • Oxford Diecast
    • Herpa Wings
    • Forces of Valor
    • SkyMax
    • Air Force One
    • Wings Of The Great War
  • Pre-order Models
    • Pre-orders – Future model releases
    • Future Corgi Models
    • Future Hobbymaster models
    • Future Military Model Releases
  • News
    • Weekly Newsletters
    • Free Newsletter Sign Up
  • Contact
  • Ordering
    • Placing Orders With Us
    • Parcel delivery information
    • Terms & Conditions
    • About Flying Tigers
  • Sale
  • My Account

Short Tucano, Hobbymaster New Announcements and Photo Gallery Updates

13/04/2018 By Richard Darling

RAF Short S-312 Tucano T1

The Short Tucano is a two-seat turboprop basic trainer built by Short Brothers in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a licence-built version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB-312 Tucano. The main operator is the Royal Air Force with exports to Kenya and Kuwait

The Embraer EMB 312 Tucano is a low-wing, tandem-seat, single-turboprop, basic trainer with counter-insurgency capability developed in Brazil. The Brazilian Air Force sponsored the EMB-312 project at the end of 1978. Design and development work began in 1979 on a low-cost, relatively simple new basic trainer with innovative features which eventually became the international standard for basic training aircraft. The prototype first flew in 1980, and initial production units were delivered in 1983.

Production was initially supported by a local order for 118 aircraft, with options for an additional 50 units in October 1980. It was later matched by an Egyptian licence-produced purchase in 1993 and subsequently by an improved variant known as the Short Tucano, which was licence-produced in the United Kingdom. The Tucano made inroads into the military trainer arena and became one of Embraer’s first international marketing successes. A total of 664 units was produced (504 by Embraer and 160 by Short Brothers), flying in 16 air forces over five continents.

Short-operated prototype, 1991

Development of the Tucano started in May 1984 after an agreement between Embraer and Short Brothers to meet a requirement to replace the BAC Jet Provost as a basic trainer with the Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force issued Air Staff Target 412 to define the requirement for a high-performance turboprop trainer. A shortlist of designs competed for the contract; the other types considered were the Pilatus PC-9, the NDN-1T Turbo-Firecracker and the Australian Aircraft Consortium (AAC) A.20 Wamira II.

In 1984 Embraer sent Shorts the seventh EMB-312 airframe off the production line for modifications in order to meet AST-412 requirements. The type was displayed in September 1984 at the Farnborough Airshow featuring an uprated PT6A-25C2 engine and a ventral air brake to meet required stall speed of 60kt. However, tests undertaken at Boscombe Down later on that year indicated the need to re-engine the aircraft (to meet the RAF requirement for time to height) and the Garrett TPE331 was chosen.

On 21st March 1985, the Short Tucano proposal was declared the winner of the AST.412 contract worth £126 million for 130 aircraft and an option for a further 15; the option was never taken up. The first flight of the prototype EMB-312G2 which featured a four-bladed Hartzell propeller with the Garrett TPE331-10 engine took place in Brazil on 14th February of the following year, the aircraft being then disassembled and airlifted back to Belfast on 29 March 1986 to fly again just ten days later. In June, the TPE331-10 engine was replaced by the TPE331-12B, a major difference being the integration of an Electronic Engine Controller (EEC) system.

Short Tucano T1 at RIAT 2005

The first standard production model T.Mk 1 was flown on 30th December 1986 and the official rollout took place on 20th January 1987. A second prototype flew on 10th March 1987, and, by April a third had joined the test fleet for clearance and final testing at Boscombe Down. The fourth build aircraft was the first delivered to the RAF on 16 June 1988 at the Central Flying School, while the last delivery to RAF occurred 25th January 1993.

In addition to the primary order from the RAF, export customers emerged for the Shorts-produced Tucanos. The Kenyan Air Force ordered a total of 12 units and a further 16 Tucanos were exported to Kuwait. The Tucanos serving in the Kuwait Air Force were furnished to be armed and combat-capable for the purposes of weapons training and light attack duties; each aircraft features four pylons capable of mounting various rocket pods, cannons, bombs, and auxiliary fuel tanks.

Short Tucano RAF Display 2013 ZF239

In addition to the revised engine, the major differences of the Shorts Tucano are a strengthened airframe for an improved fatigue life, a cockpit layout similar to the Hawk advanced trainer, a revised oxygen system, a flight data recorder, a four-bladed propeller, ventral airbrake and restyled wingtips. Two Martin-Baker MB 8LC ejection seats are used and the canopy was modified to meet the RAF’s bird strike requirements. During its production run, Shorts commonly promoted the airframe as being “100% British-built”. In order to meet RAF requirements, the EMB-312 has some 900 modifications reducing commonality with the original aircraft to only 50%.

Royal Air Force Tucano in 2010 painted for the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain to represent a Spitfire of No. 92 Squadron RAF as flown by Brian Kingcome in 1940

Since first deliveries to the RAF in 1989, the Tucano is now operated primarily from No 1 Flying Training School at RAF Linton-on-Ouse to provide basic fast-jet flying training to RAF and RN student pilots, on 72 (Reserve) Squadron. Student pilots fly around 130 hours during their training course on the Tucano before progressing to the Hawk T2 aircraft at RAF Valley. They can carry the same ordnance as a Harrier, with its loud bang, but unlike the Harrier, which can be over the battlefield for no more than 20 minutes, Tucanos can loiter overhead for hours on end, ready for use in a ground attack at a moment’s notice.”
House of Commons debate, October 2007.

Embraer T-27 Tucano (EMB-312) Brazil Air Force

The Short Tucano replaced the Jet Provost as the basic trainer for the RAF, preparing the student pilots for progression to Hawk T1 advanced flying training. The aircraft proved to be 70% cheaper to operate than its predecessor. The Tucano’s accident record has also been remarkably better than other ab-initio training aircraft, with only five aircraft written off with no fatalities in over 20 years.

In March 2007, regarding experiences from the War in Afghanistan, the British Parliament was debating the idea of replacing Harriers and Tornados for armed Short Tucanos during close air support missions. This would have required extensive modification as the RAF aircraft were not fitted with wing hardpoints.

Royal Air Force Short Tucano T1 (ZF210) at the 2008 Air Day, Kemble Airport, Gloucestershire, England. This aircraft is in special colours as the RAF display Tucano for 2008. The Tucano T1 is a modified version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB 312 Tucano and is built under licence by Short of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

RAF has a contract with VT Group to support maintenance until April 2014, with possible option to extend the deal for another two years. The aircraft was scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2015. It will be replaced by the winner of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programme.


 

Short Tucano models available to order from Flying Tigers !

The following models are available to order from Flying Tigers. Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all.

AV7227002 Aviation 72 1/72nd scale Short Tucano RAF Display 2013 ZF239  RRP £35.00  Flying Tigers only £30.99 

AV7227003 Aviation 72 1/72nd scale Short Tucano RAF Flying School ZF141  RRP £35.00  Flying Tigers only £31.99

AV7227004 Aviation 72 1/72nd scale Short Tucano RAF Spitfire Scheme LZR  RRP £35.00  Flying Tigers only £31.99

AV7227005 Aviation 72 1/72nd scale Short Tucano T1 RAF Trainer ZF378  RRP £40.00  Flying Tigers only £30.99

AV7227007 Aviation 72 1/72nd scale Short Tucano T1 RAF Trainer ZF317 2009 Display Season  RRP £40.00  Flying Tigers only £30.99

AV7227006 Aviation 72 1/72nd scale Embraer Tucano T27 Brazilian Air Force Display  RRP £40.00  Flying Tigers only £30.99


 

Hobbymaster Latest Model Announcements are now available to order from Flying Tigers !

New Hobbymaster models have just been announced and are available to pre-order at Flying Tigers today. If you need any of these models it is always safer to pre-order as quantities are limited .

Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all in the Future Models section.

HA6102 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Su-25M1 Frogfoot Blue 06, 299th Aviation Brigade, Ukrainian Air Force, Nikolaev, 2014  RRP £88.00  Flying Tigers only £65.99

HA5108 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell Douglas F/A-18F AG 200/166620, VF-103 “JR”, NAS Fallon, July 2015  RRP £102.00  Flying Tigers only £77.99

HA1326 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale A-10C 81-0994 “100 Anniversary of the 107th FS” 107th FS/127th Wing, Michigan, August 2017  RRP £82.00  Flying Tigers only £61.99

HA19002 Hobbymaster McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II 20267, IRIAF, Mehrabad AB, 2009  RRP £80.00  Flying Tigers only £59.99

HA5308 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-23MS Flogger 4012, No. 39 Squadron, Iraqi Air Force, 1981  RRP £82.00  Flying Tigers only £61.99

HA5307 Hobbymaster MiG-23MF Flogger “Hell Fighter” 3646, Czech Republic Air Force, 1994  RRP £82.00  Flying Tigers only £61.99

HA3860 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed Martin F-16BM 1609, Romanian Air Force, 2017  RRP £72.00  Flying Tigers only £52.99

HA3859 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed Martin F-16AM 1601, Romanian Air Force, 2017  RRP £72.00  Flying Tigers only £52.99

HA3225 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Douglas B-26K Counter Invader 64-17660, 609 SOS, Nakhon Phanom 1969  RRP £82.00  Flying Tigers only £61.99

HA8805 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Japan A6M2 Zero Type 21 V-173, Rabaul, June to July 1942 “Saburo Sakai”  RRP £74.00  Flying Tigers only £55.99  

HG1705 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Sd. Kfz. 2 Kettenkrad C. 1st Skijager-Brigade, Russia, Winter 1944  RRP £28.00  Flying Tigers only £21.99

HG1703 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Sd. Kfz. 2 Kettenkrad 1st Gebirgs Division (1st Mountain Division) Soviet Union 1942  RRP £28.00  Flying Tigers only £21.99


 

Hobbymaster and Oxford Diecast Photo Gallery updates.

Flying Tigers has updated the photo gallery on the following models. Please click on the image of you choice to go straight to the model page.

HA4513 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ “Aggressor” 72-8090, JASDF , 2010  RRP £88.00  Flying Tigers only £65.99

HA6103 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Su-25 “Frogfoot” Red 59, 378. OShAP, VVS, USSR attached to air forces of the 40th Army, Bagram AB, Afghanistan 1986  RRP £82.00  Flying Tigers only £59.99

HA4810 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 161343, VAW-122 “Steel Jaws”, USS Forrestal 1991  RRP £102.00  Flying Tigers only £76.99

HA4811 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 164496, VAW-126 “Seahawks”, USS Harry S. Truman, May 2011  RRP £104.00  Flying Tigers only £82.99

HA7423 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale FW 190A-4 6./JG 1, Woensdrecht, Holland, October 1942  RRP £70.00  Flying Tigers only £52.99

72SW003 Oxford Diecast 1/72nd scale Supermarine Walrus N19 Irish air Corps  RRP £35.00  Flying Tigers only £28.99

 

That is all for this week.

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard.
Flying Tigers.

 

Filed Under: Flying Tigers, Newsletter Tagged With: Newsletter, Oxford Diecast, Latest Hobbymaster models, Aviation 72, Flying Tigers Newsletter, Shorts Tucano

Find Us At Sywell Aerodrome

Flying Tigers is now based at the historic Sywell Aerodrome, in Northamptonshire. We hope to welcome many of you to our new premises over the coming months. See map. Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, NN6 0BN

Recent News

  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning , Corgi and Herpa New Model Arrivals and More Hobbymaster Updates.
  • Consolidated B-24 Liberator , Hobbymaster new models due mid-March, and Herpa Announcements.
  • Night Stalkers Special Forces (160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Airborne) , Hobbymaster and Corgi Arrivals !
  • James Allen Ward VC and Kenneth Campbell VC , Hobbymaster New Model Announcements and Updates.
  • No. 11 Squadron RAF , Corgi Aviation Archive New Model Arrivals and Precision Model Art New Announcements.
  • Albert Ball VC , Hobbymaster Arrivals Next Week and Updated Photo Gallery.
  • Bristol Beaufort , Corgi Aviation Archive 2021 New Catalogue Models.
  • Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey , Hobbymaster New Model Announcement, Updates and Arrivals.

Latest Model Arrivals

  • UA72212 Modelcollect 1/72nd scale USAF Boeing B-52G Stratofortress Strategic Bomber "Old Crow Express" Operation Desert Storm 1708th BW(P) king Abdul Aziz IAP Jeddah (Jeddah New) Saudi Arabia March 1991 £87.99 (incl VAT)
  • UA72211 Modelcollect 1/72nd scale B-52H U.S. Stratofortress Strategic Bomber £81.99 (incl VAT)
  • UA72210 Modelcollect 1/72nd scale B-52G early type in Linebacker II Vietnam war 1967-1972 £87.99 (incl VAT)

Flying Tiger Models Ltd
Unit 2 Airways House
Sywell Aerodrome
Sywell, Northamptonshire
UK. NN6 0BN
Tel: 01604 499034

Material and images are Copyright Flying Tiger Models Ltd.
Use of any image is subject to prior authorisation.

© 2018 Flying Tigers. All Rights Reserved.