Over 10 years after its establishment in the United States, the Brazilian company Embraer faces a series of challenges due to the lack of new orders for A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Embraer’s CEO of Security & Defense, Bosco da Costa Jr., has stated that 2025 will be a key year to find new contracts and close this production gap.
The assembly line at the Jacksonville plant (USA) was set up in 2013 to produce the A-29 Super Tucano for clients within the FMS program, particularly for the Afghan Air Force and a limited number of units for the U.S. However, with the end of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, the plant has reduced its production rate to a minimum, with only four units currently in various stages of production, all assigned to short-term clients.
The Jacksonville plant has the capacity to assemble up to 24 new Super Tucanos per year. However, most of Embraer’s international orders are fulfilled through its plant in Brazil, making it challenging to secure specific orders for the U.S. plant. Additionally, the aircraft produced in Jacksonville are configured exclusively for U.S. clients or through FMS sales managed by the Pentagon. This limits the production outlook for Jacksonville, as recent contracts from countries like Paraguay and Uruguay fall outside the FMS program and its configurations.
The purchase of six new A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft by the Uruguayan government for its Air Force, replacing their A-37B Dragonfly, along with the acquisition of six Super Tucanos by the Paraguayan Air Force to replace the AT-26 Xavante, are the latest sales contracts for the successful Brazilian aircraft. This highlights the significance of state-to-state sales in the short term, without applying the FMS program.
Images used for illustrative purposes only.
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