Super Tucano for Portugal
On 25 June 2024, Portuguese Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo confirmed during a hearing in parliament that the Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP, Portuguese Air Force) is close to acquiring the Embraer A-29N Super Tucano.
The purchase of the Brazilian-manufactured attack turboprop aircraft is about to be judicially approved. Embraer is offering the A-29N to Portugal. Launched in 2023, it is a version of the Super Tucano with specific instrumentation for NATO countries, such as data link and weapons. If the purchase goes ahead, Portugal will become the first country in Europe to operate the A-29N. The number of aircraft to be ordered has not been reported.
The Super Tucano has been on the FAP's radar for some time. The FAP has planned to deploy the new A-29Ns within Esquadra 103 Caracóis, thus resuming its pilot training operations that had been suspended after the Alpha Jet's withdrawal in 2018.
In November 2020, Scramble Magazine first reported the Portuguese Air Force's interest in the EMB314 Super Tucano.
Credit image: EMBRAER