The BBC report that the Tucano is soon to be retired:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-y ... e-49579220
I'm sure there are still some people who will say "good" but I have a different view. I was on the MOD(PE) Tucano desk in 1988-91 and, for what was being paid (£1.25M each IIRC, but it may have been less), the RAF got a bargain. The performance was excellent compared to the Jet Provost and from the safety point of view, while the JP fleet used to lose an aircraft or two each year in the 60s and 70s, the Tucano fleet lost only 5 aircraft (of 130) in 30 years service.
There were all sorts of
PR issues with RAF people complaining about it before the first aircraft was delivered and inventing issues, such as the ejection system ("cut you to ribbons" - simply not true) and so on. We always took a positive view and worked to get the aircraft delivered and released to service. I recall attending the passing out of the first student course at Church Fenton - a JP did a display which consisted of rolling past and disappearing from sight, to reappear a minute later and do the same thing; the Tucano did aeros right in front of us without ever going out of sight! I only flew in one twice and can vouch for the rate of climb (which was a major specification point).
There was a saying within MOD(PE) that "Embraer designed a Skoda, the RAF are paying for a Ford, Shorts are making a Jaguar and the RAF expects a Rolls-Royce". (No disrespect to Skoda, but they weren't as good in the 80s as they are now.)