Paraguay negotiating for Super Tucanos

Paraguay has been looking for a successor to their AT-26 Xavantes and AT-27 Tucanos for quite a while. Latest effort dates back to 22 February 2024 when a possible acquisition of six EMB314/A-29 Super Tucanos was one of the major topics during the air force's 101st birthday celebrations.

Embraer had sent an A-29 Super Tucano demonstrator to Asunción and presented a formal offer to the Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya (FAP, Paraguayan Air Force). The outline of that was to deliver six factory fresh A-29s and it also included an upgrade, revitalisation was the word used, of the remaining AT-27 Tucanos. The required investment would be USD 121 million and that was the main issue, as always.

Some local media channels now report that negotiations are under way or even that a deal has actually been struck, the details of which are not yet clear nor officially confirmed. However, the Brazilian minister of Defence did visit the Paraguayan president on Thursday 2 May to talk about strengthening the military cooperation between the two countries. The Super Tucano deal was also on the agenda, with a possible financial arrangement through the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) to guarantee the investment now said to be USD 100 million.

Meanwhile, a renovated hangar was recently inaugurated at Silvio Pettirossi and the first refurbished AT-27, 1057, was presented on 22 March 2024. It was returned to service with the Grupo Aerotáctico after being stored for years. So there has at least been some activity in line with the original plans.

Credit photo (just illustrative): Erwin van Dijkman