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2021-05-18

Embraer Continues to Evolve and Innovate

With more than 50 years of experience and over 8,000 airplanes delivered, Embraer is renowned for the design, development, manufacturing and support of aircraft and systems for defence, commercial, and executive applications. Born from the Brazilian Air Force’s (BAF) need to move people and material across Brazil’s vast territory, Embraer has expanded throughout the years to become one of the key aeronautical and defence OEMs in the world.

Embraer Defense & Security, its military-focused branch, which has offices across the globe, including in the UAE, has its products present in more than 60 countries, with solutions for air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains.

Shining Star: C-390 Millennium

For air forces that desire to enter the 21st century achieving more operational effect, with a modern and significantly more capable aircraft, the C-390 Millennium delivers mobility capabilities, high productivity and flexibility at low operating costs. The rugged platform, using state-of-the-art technologies, was developed to operate in austere environments and can perform a wide range of missions at high levels of availability and reliability.

“The C-390 Millennium flies faster and carries more cargo than any other military freighters in the category, being the ideal platform for the main usage scenarios in humanitarian, tactical and strategic operations, requiring fewer on-demand inspections and maintenance, with levels of simplification normally associated only with commercial aircraft,” said Caetano Spuldaro Neto, Sales & Business Development Vice-President for the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Designated KC-390 Millennium in its air-to-air refuelling (AAR) configuration, it is fully operational within the BAF, which has deployed the KC-390 on several critical missions and exercises in Brazil and abroad, including Lebanon (August 2020, after Beirut’s harbour explosion) and U.S. (February 2021, Operation Culminating exercise with the U.S. Army and USAF). The four aircraft fleet operated by the BAF have exceeded 2,500 flight hours in operation as they have been extensively used in COVID-19 operations.

Recently, the programme reached an important milestone with the successful conclusion of the aerial refuelling qualification. The in-flight refuelling capacity between two KC-390 aircraft, unique in this category, allows operators to expand their logistical transport capacity, increasing the autonomy and range of their missions.

On the business side, Embraer has signed a contract with the Hungarian Government in 2020 for two units. This is the second contract with a NATO nation, after the Portuguese Air Force selected the aircraft in 2019. Deliveries for both countries are scheduled to start in 2023.

Rugged Platform: A-29 Super Tucano

The A-29 Super Tucano is the worldwide choice for Close Air Support. It is a reference for advanced and JTAC training, representing the Gold Standard in its field. It is a combat-proven platform selected by more than 15 Air Forces around the globe, including the USAF. Philippines Air Force became the most recent operator of this aircraft.

Integrated Solutions

Embraer Defense & Security has a diverse portfolio that incorporates a full line of integrated solutions and applications. This includes Command and Control Centre (C4I), Air Traffic Control, Air Traffic Management, radars, ground surveillance, ISR applications, space and specialiseds military MRO services.

“We’ll continue to focus on the aeronautic and defence sectors, our main business, while being open for new opportunities in diversification, partnerships and new businesses,” said Neto.

In terms of future projects, Embraer and ELTA Systems Ltd (ELTA) signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement to introduce the P600 AEW&C. Designed to provide airborne early warning capabilities with competitive price in this market segment, this next generation aircraft is based on the advanced super midsize platform of the Praetor 600 business jet.

Recognising the demand for sophisticated cyber-security solutions in the defence market, Embraer acquired Brazil-based Tempest Security Intelligence in 2020, a provider of complete solutions for business protection in the digital world.

According to Neto, the company is well positioned to develop collaborative agreements with partners and countries. “Innovation and entrepreneurship are in our DNA. We have the most modern portfolio of aircraft and the most skilled engineering team in the world. That’s why Embraer is in a unique position to build customised solutions for our customers, that include real collaboration for achieving win-win results,” he said.

With the support of the Brazilian Government, Embraer Defense & Security aims to expand its presence in the Middle East, by providing access to latest technologies and processes that can leverage the region’s already existing skills and competencies.

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