Embraer partners with Portuguese firms to develop defense industry

As part of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit to Portugal, Brazilian planemaker Embraer has signed a memorandum of understanding with four Portuguese aerospace companies to develop the European country’s Technological and Industrial Defense Base.

Lula was present during the signing of the agreement, alongside the Portuguese prime minister, António Costa. The companies involved in the deal are CEiiA, ETI, GMV and Ogma.

The agreement will also help with the production of Embraer’s new NATO configuration A-29N Super Tucano aircraft, first announced at the LAAD Defence & Security fair in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month. The partnership signed today aims to expand and increase long-term commercial relations between Embraer and the Portuguese quartet during the development, production, and support phases of the aircraft.

Francisco Gomes Neto, CEO of Embraer, called the agreement “an enormous satisfaction,” defining Portugal’s defense industry as a “reference in cooperation on aerospace and defense projects.”

The A-29N will be manufactured in partnership with Ogma, in which Embraer holds a 65 percent stake.

The new version of the Super Tucano will include equipment and features to fulfill NATO’s operational requirements, such as a new datalink and single-pilot operation. These features will increase the aircraft’s employment possibilities, allowing, for example, its use in JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) training missions. Training devices will also be upgraded to the world’s most demanding standards, including virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.

The A-29 Super Tucano was introduced in 2003 and designed as a versatile light attack aircraft with low maintenance costs, suitable for training and counterinsurgency operations. Embraer has since delivered more than 260 units, including to the U.S. Air Force.

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