In a site specialized in defense issues, it was news that the Air Force of the Dominican Republic acquired a batch of Tucano R “Experimental” aircraft named Dulus TP 75, designed and produced by the Italian firm Flying Legend.
The aircraft is a smaller replica of the EMB 312 Tucano – an aircraft widespread in South America – designed for sporting purposes, but the decision of the Dominican aviation poses an interesting option for both the civil and military markets in the region. That is why we contacted the manufacturer of the Tucano R Experimental, in order to learn more about this interesting aircraft.
By Jorge Alejandro Suárez Saponaro | Director of the newspaper El Minuto for Argentina
Seeing the news about a replica of the Tucano EMB 312, but in a smaller version, intended for the civilian market. The Air Force of the Dominican Republic is in the framework of a timid re-equipment process, highlighting the purchase of ten Tucano R “Experimental” aircraft from the Italian firm Flying Legend, based in Catania, Sicily.
In the Dominican case, on February 17, 2023, at the San Isidro air base, the first prototype assembled in the Dominican Republic flew, manned by the pilot of the manufacturing company and the general commander of the air force of that country, Major General Carlos Febrillet Rodriguez. The new Dominican aircraft were assigned to the combat squadron, where the Embraer Tucano operate, under the name Dulus TP 75, and can reach 287 km/h and a maximum range of 1,166 km.
The company offers a training and patrol version, known as the TP 150. This can be a more than interesting option for the regional aeronautical market, allowing it to acquire at a more than moderate cost, an aircraft with interesting features, autonomy and solidity.
First of all, how was this company born? Could you tell us about the Tucano R Experimental aircraft? The reasons that led to its design and production .
12 years ago, investors Franco Rummolino and Giacomo Bandiera, already operating in the petrochemical sector, decided to invest in the aviation sector.
The main objective has always been to build a fit-for-purpose aircraft as a low-cost military basic trainer, so we took inspiration from the wonderful Embraer TUCANO EMB 312, from which we chose the Tandem configuration, the retractable landing gear, and the choice to make a machine out of aluminum because it is considered suitable for training compared to modern aircraft that are built in composite material (in our opinion, a material that certainly has aerodynamic advantages, but also has drawbacks and/or critical points for everything related to with maintenance and analysis of structural problems in the event of an accident). landing errors,
The Dominican Air Force acquired ten aircraft. Is a market open for the military and security sector for the company?
First of all, it must be specified that it is true that Flying Legend builds the Tucano Replica, but this aircraft is intended precisely for the civil market. Structural modifications were made to this project that led to the creation of the Flying Legend TP-150 Aircraft (Training and Patrol) the latter is the version dedicated to the military market with the specific objective of providing a basic trainer with a 750 MTOW kg and a load factor of +6/-3G, thus, in a training phase in basic aerobatics, there are large margins of error that do not compromise the safety of the aircraft and the pilots. This aircraft is powered by a ROTAX 150 hp 915is, four-blade propeller and ballistic parachute.
