Embraer Defense and Security Delivers the First A-29 Super Tucanos to Mauritania

Oct. 22, 2012
The model, which is being used by seven air forces in Latin America, Africa and Asia, has now surpassed 170,000 flight hours and 26,000 combat hours.

São Paulo, Brazil, October, 22, 2012 – Embraer Defense and Security delivered on Friday the first light attack and advanced training A-29 Super Tucano turboprops to the Air Force of Mauritania, at a ceremony held in its facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, Brazil. The aircraft will be used for border surveillance missions.

“The Super Tucano has combat proven experience, is versatile and extremely efficient, and offers low operation costs,” said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, president of Embraer Defense and Security. “With this delivery, we are broadening our ties with the African continent, where this aircraft has generated great interest.”

Ten clients throughout the world have already chosen the A-29 Super Tucano. The model, which is being used by seven air forces in Latin America, Africa and Asia, has now surpassed 170,000 flight hours and 26,000 combat hours. The Super Tucano is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception, and counterinsurgency. The aircraft is equipped with advanced electronic, electro-optic, infrared, and laser system technologies, as well as secure radio systems with data links and unrivalled weapon capacity, which makes it highly reliable and allows for an excellent cost-benefit ratio for a wide range of military missions, even operating from unpaved runways and in hostile environments.

The A-29 Super Tucano handles more than 130 weapon configurations, including 70mm rocket launchers, air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs, totally integrated into the aircraft’s mission system, with a laser designator. These state-of-the-art smart weapons are employed in real operational missions carried out by the Super Tucano for more than five years. The A-29 Super Tucano is the result of a project developed according to the rigorous specifications of the Brazilian Air Force. With more than 160 aircraft already delivered, it is totally compatible with combat operations in complex scenarios, in which data exchange and information processing capabilities are demanded. In addition to a reinforced airframe for operating on unpaved runways, the airplane has advanced navigation and weapon aiming systems, which assure high precision and reliability, using both conventional and smart weapons, even under extreme conditions. The airplane requires minimal logistical support for continued operations.

About Embraer Defense and Security

Embraer Defense and Security is a business unit of Embraer S.A., with over 40 years of experience in providing Armed Forces around the world with superior platforms and systems to aid in their defense and security. With its growing presence in the global market, the Company plays a strategic role in Brazil’s defense. Embraer Defense and Security’s product portfolio includes military airplanes, state-of-the-art radar technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and advanced information and communications systems, such as Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications. Embraer’s airplanes and military solutions are found in service with more than 50 armed forces in 48 countries.