Uruguay update - as some of you on this forum are aware the L-15 has been a possibility for the Uruguayan Air Force for some time however earlier this year the current Uruguayan government made the announcement that it would be acquiring six Super Tucanos.
The situation remains a little bit unclear particularly since a presidential election is only a few weeks away.
The buzz among Uruguayan aviation enthusiasts was that the super Tucanos would be procured as a replacement for the Pucaras that were retired in 2017 and in a recent interview with info defensa the commander of the Air Force seems to indicate that a further acquisition of jet aircraft to replace the A-37 Dragonflies is something that is still being looked into.
The Uruguayan Air Force is tasked with aerial sovereignty which currently is being challenged by narcotrafficking flights that come from further north and west in the continent - thus far that trafficking has been done with light typically single engine piston type aircraft but we know from the rest of the continent that the step up to higher performance executive jet types is well within the reach of narco trafficking networks therefore from the point of view of the Uruguayan Air Force they need to be looking at something beyond Super Tucanos. The complication here is that having passed a law whereby suspect aircraft can be shot down the US has made it clear that they will not supply combat aircraft to Uruguay unless that law is changed.
Add to this the fact that the upcoming presidential election may result in a new political party gaining power, and this does open in my opinion the possibility that the acquisition of L-15 is still a possibility.
The current government had not been showing any interest in the Hongdu trainer but might have been pushed in that direction eventually because of the American restrictions the government that might well be in power after the election I think from a political point of view would not be averse to buying a combat aircraft from China and indeed it may be one of the few options considering the American restrictions purchase price and financing arrangements
