Embraer posts healthy sales but warns of strained defence budgets
Embraer delivered four A-29 Super Tucanos in Q2 2021. (Photo: USAFRICOM)
Embraer reported Q2 2021 net revenues of $174.9 million in its Defense & Security segment, more than double the $85.8 million posted in Q2 2020 and accounting for 15.5% of total group sales.
Assembly work continued in Q2 on the KC-390 Millennium production line, including five units for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and one for the Portuguese Air Force.
Four KC-390 Millennium transport aircraft have already been delivered to the FAB and are performing ‘a variety of logistics missions’ including COVID-19 response, Embraer announced on 13 August.
Since the end of Q2, the company has also conducted unpaved runway tests of the aircraft.
A pair of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force was delivered to Sierra Nevada Corporation in Q2, while two other A-29s were delivered to an undisclosed customer.
A maintenance contract with the Chilean Air Force was also renewed.
Group-wide revenues Q2 reached $1.13 billion, representing year-on-year growth of 110.4% with double-digit growth in all segments. Revenues in H1 2021 revenues grew by 65.5% compared to the same period in 2020.
While the Defense & Security segment did not experience the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘there are signs that budgets of some important customers have become strained following spending to fight the pandemic and its economic impacts’, Embraer noted.
However, the Brazilian conglomerate remains confident that demand for its defence products will improve worldwide.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
Patria OPTIME and ILIAS: Orchestrating operational readiness across every domain
Patria OPTIME is a sustainment concept that integrates MRO and lifecycle services into one solution, powered by the ILIAS digital defence platform
-
US military seeks common controllers for drones and robotic systems
US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command initiatives signal demand for interoperable uncrewed systems control, creating opportunities for suppliers of hardware, software and integration services.
-
“Start planning much earlier”: delivering defence support in an era of disruption
In Conversation… The geopolitical landscape is increasingly uncertain, with the UK and its allies confronting the most unpredictable international environment for decades. To adapt, defence readiness must begin long before assets reach the front line, forging a resilient support enterprise that can thrive in a time of ongoing disruption, argue the partners of Team ORION.
-
“Communicating at mission speed”: why data security is essential for operational success
In conversation… Everfox’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Wajsgras and Managing Director, International, Colin McKinty discuss the critical importance of information security in defence, minimising insider risk and the company’s international growth strategy with Shephard’s Andrew White.
-
“Engage with the operational problem”: how software innovation can boost UK defence
In Conversation… Shephard’s Andrew White talks to Zafer Şen, CEO and co-founder of OBSS, about the future of command-and-control software in the age of artificial intelligence, and his company’s ambitions in the UK defence market.