BELFAST — Portugal has ordered 12 A-29N Super Tucano aircraft from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, in a deal valued at €200 million ($210 million).
The company announced in a Monday statement that it had signed an agreement with the Portuguese Ministry of National Defense for the acquisition and added Lisbon will become the launch customer of the NATO standard version of the light attack and training plane.
“This acquisition reflects Portugal’s commitment to modernizing its Air Force with a versatile and proven aircraft, ideally suited for Advanced Pilot Training, Light Attack, Close Air Support (CAS) and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions,” said Embraer.
The order for the aircraft sits under Portugal’s Close Support Aircraft program, one of eight major equipment projects prioritized by the country’s Military Programming Law, a multiyear defense spending plan.
In line with operational requirements, Embraer stressed that the new Super Tucano’s will be equipped with “advanced avionics, NATO-specific communications systems and other non-disclosed new capabilities.”
Embraer has been marketing a NATO-specific version of the A-29, a light- attack prop plane, for several years, but Portugal marks the first customer to sign on. The Portuguese Air Force has been left with an advanced trainer capability gap since retiring Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets in 2018.
Portugal’s Council of Ministers officially approved the order last week and shared that the acquisition, as a whole, will also include “a flight simulator, logistics, support, goods and services,” according to an online translation of a government statement.
“The project will involve a strong participation of Portuguese industry in highly technological areas, with a view to reconfiguring the aircraft to NATO standards and specifications,” added Lisbon.
Neither Embraer or the Portuguese government disclosed delivery plans for the Super Tucanos.
A select group of local Portuguese aerospace companies are set to be involved in development and systems integration of the aircraft, based on a prior Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). That agreement was signed in April by Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento de Produto (CEiiA), Empordef Tecnologias de Informação, S.A. (ETI), GMVIS Skysoft, S.A. (GMV) and OGMA S.A.
The latest Super Tucano order also strengthens Brazilian and Portuguese defense co-operation, building on Lisbon’s 2019 order for five KC-390 Millennium tankers, the second of which was delivered in June.
Embraer on Tuesday also announced the establishment of a new Portuguese subsidiary, Embraer Defense Europe, aimed at supporting “strategic objectives in creating relevant and cutting-edge defense and security solutions for customers in Europe and NATO.”