How the UAE conquered Brazilian military technology

Introduced in 2003, the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano was designed as a versatile light attack aircraft with low maintenance costs, suitable for training and counterinsurgency operations. So far, armed forces from 15 countries worldwide have selected it — and in 2015 the Brazilian Air Force hoped to make the United Arab Emirates its 16th client, with the purchase of 24 models.

The deal, however, never materialized. Furthermore, the UAE has since obtained a plane that is so similar to the A-29 Super Tucano — and in such curious circumstances — raising eyebrows among Brazil’s military top brass about the possibility of Brazilian military trade secrets being stolen.

In May 2015 — that is, at the same time the Air Force was trying to sell A-29s to the UAE — Novaer, a designated “Strategic Defense Company” operating in Brazil’s aerospace hub São José dos Campos, inked a deal with Abu Dhabi-based company Calidus to design and develop a competitor for the A-29. The firm had been founded just months before.

While it took Embraer roughly eight years to develop the A-29, Novaer managed to develop its new aircraft, the B-250, in 25 months — even shipping two prototypes to the 2017 Dubai Air Show. 

Some curious aspects of the development process help understand how Novaer managed to finish its...