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Brazilian Army approves purchase of C-23B Sherpa aircraft
Confirmation frees Army Aviation to start selecting and training future pilots
Posted on 12/07/2019 4:30 PM
The Brazilian Army High Command (EB) approved this week the acquisition of Short C-23B Sherpa transport aircraft from US National Guard stockpiles.
Upon confirmation, Army Aviation (AvEx) can begin the selection and training of future pilots.
Negotiations for the purchase of aircraft had started in 2017.
The program will require an approximate investment of $ 18 million to return aircraft to flight conditions.
The EB will acquire eight C-23B units, of which six will have operational capacity and the other two will serve as a spare part source.
Delivery of the first plane is scheduled for the first half of 2021.
The Sherpa will be operated by the 4th Army Aviation Battalion (4th BavEx), based in Manaus (AM).
The arrival of the planes will also require the construction of a new hangar at the 4 ° BavEx headquarters
with cargo handling capacity and boarding the turboprop twin engines.
The aim of the EB is to use its own aircraft to transport logistics in the Amazon region
and thus obtain independence from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB),
which today does this work.
Without large resources, the Army chose to buy used airplanes,
manufactured over three decades ago, but with about 15 years to go.
The other options considered by the country were new aircraft such as
the Airbus C-212 (formerly CASA C-212),
DHC-6 Twin Otter,
Cessna Grand Caravan and the
Polish PZL M-28.
The Sherpa used by the Americans were civilian aircraft converted in the late 1990s to the C-23B version
and were used by the US National Guard until 2014, when they were disassembled and stockpiled.
The idea of the Americans, even, was to pass 15 units,
but the Brazilian Army preferred to have fewer aircraft in order to prepare an entire aerial infrastructure before thinking about expanding its operations.
It is not yet known if the aircraft will need some kind of modernization or adaptation to their functions in Brazil.
The Army's interest in re-owning its own aircraft is old and not before because
the FAB held the exclusive operation of any aircraft in the land environment until 1986.
That was when the Brazilian government decided to allow the army to operate helicopters.
- The Navy had already obtained this right in 1965, and later, in 1998,
it had its fixed wing AF-1 Skyhawk aircraft purchased for use aboard the now-disabled aircraft carrier São Paulo.
Former Bombardier
The Sherpa is a military version of the Short 360 airliner created by the Northern Ireland manufacturer Short Brothers in 1981.
Just over 160 aircraft were produced by 1991 when manufacturing was completed.
It can carry up to 20 passengers or about 4 tons of cargo.
Although it has a passenger carrying capacity similar to that of Embraer Bandeirante,
the Irish aircraft has a configuration more suited to military transport, with high wings and a large rear cargo port.
Its rectangular and bulkier fuselage also favors this hose acting.
In 1989, Short Brothers was acquired by Canadian Bombardier
and this year the unit was sold to the US group Spirit Aerosystems.