As built, the Short Tucano maintained much of the form and function of its Brazilian counterpart. The student and instructor sat in tandem under a single-piece, lightly-framed canopy (hinged to open towards starboard). Views from the positions were excellent for an aircraft of this type. The engine was fitted to the long nose and drove a four-bladed Hartzell propeller unit. The fuselage was streamlined and capped at the rear by a single-finned tail unit with low-mounted horizontal planes. The wing mainplanes were situated near midships and of a straight design with clipped tips. The undercarriage, fully-retractable, was of a tricycle arrangement.
Performance from the Garret turboprop included a maximum speed of 315 miles per hour with a cruising speed closer to 255 miles per hour. Range was out to 1,035 miles and the aircraft's service ceiling reached 34,000 feet - requiring an oxygen supply for the two pilots. Rate-of-climb measured 3,510 feet per minute.
Deliveries of the new trainer into RAF hands in late 1988 and spanned into 1993. The aircraft eventually stocked the Empire Test PIlots' School and the Royal Air Force's Central Flying School. All 130 delivered airframes to the RAF were of the Tucano Mk.T1 basic two-seat trainer model.
Just two other global operators were interested in the Short Tucano: Kenya and Kuwait. The former operated the Tucano Mk.51 variant across twelve examples and the latter acquired the Tucano Mk.52 in a batch of sixteen aircraft. Kuwaiti models were notable in being combat-capable, able to undertake both basic airman training and light combat duties - supporting bombs, cannon pods, and rocket pods as armament in either case.
In all, just 160 Short Tucanos were manufactured by Short Brothers from the period spanning 1986 to 1995. The type does remain in active service as of this writing (2018).
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