Uruguayan Air Force firms up options for five more A-29 Super Tucanos
Uruguay is the sixth nation in South America to operate the A-29 Super Tucano. (Photo: Embraer)
The Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) and the Uruguayan Ministry of Defense (MDN) has announced it will buy five additional A-29 Super Tucano aircraft – converting options from its original August 2024 deal.
The FAU originally made a firm order with options for one A-29 Super Tucano last year to bolster its operational capabilities. The agreement included mission equipment, integrated logistics services and a flight simulator for the aircraft.
Uruguay is the sixth South American country to purchase the light attack and trainer aircraft, alongside Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Paraguay.
Related Articles
Portugal to purchase 12 NATO-configured A-29 Super Tucanos
Bosco da Costa Junior, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, said: “We are ready to offer the best multimission aircraft to the FAU, as well as our full support to increase their operational readiness and to enhance their capabilities to accomplish strategic missions such as border surveillance.”
General Luis H. De León, Commander in Chief of the Uruguayan Air Force, added: “This incorporation projects us technologically, and upon completion of the A-29 acquisition process, it allows us to face, together with Embraer, the new regional security paradigms.”
This order emphasises Embraer’s recent influx of interest, following Portugal’s order for 12 NATO-configured A-29 aircraft and an agreement with an unnamed African country. The aircraft now reaches 20 operators worldwide, with a total of 290 orders according to the manufacturer.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Baykar’s Akinci: Local participation and export freedom drive $4.63 billion success story
The success of the Akinci drone stems from Turkey’s push for domestically produced components – which has led to fewer export restrictions – and from manufacturer Baykar’s willingness to coproduce the drone with customers’ domestic industries.
-
Lithuania air focus: Majority of $235.98 million drone investment to be spent before 2030
Lithuania has committed significant funding towards expanding its UAV capabilities, with more than $54 million already spent and substantial additional investment planned through to 2029. Alongside domestic procurement, the country has also acquired various drones to support Ukraine.
-
“A dominant force”: empowering Europe’s airborne ISR in a new era
European militaries face a new security landscape, with the proliferation of drones, theatre ballistic missiles and other threats boosting requirements for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and related systems. For L3Harris, missionised business jets are central to meeting these needs, providing capability and flexibility in a cost-effective package.
-
Japan’s Terra Drone expands Ukrainian ties to break into global defence market
Following its investment into WinnyLab, Terra Drone unveiled a new long-range fixed-wing addition to its interceptor drone portfolio as it seeks to bring combat-proven technology back to Japan and expand into global export markets.