SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil: Embraer has won a competition held by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense to supply eight Super Tucano light attack turboprops for the Indonesian Air Force.
The deal includes ground support stations and an integrated logistics package, and represents the debut of the Super Tucano in the Asia Pacific region. Deliveries will begin in 2012.
“We are very pleased to have the Indonesian Air Force as the newest customer of Embraer Defense Systems,” said Orlando José Ferreira Neto, Embraer Executive Vice President, Defense Market. “The Super Tucano is a proven light attack and advanced trainer turboprop, flying currently in five air forces, and we are certain it will perfectly suit Indonesia’s needs.”
The Super Tucano has been chosen to replace a fleet of OV-10 Broncos, due to its flexibility to perform a broad range of missions, including light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception, and counter insurgence. The Super Tucano is a mature, action-proven airplane, with more than 100,000 flight hours, always demonstrating superb mission efficiency and reliability.
Equipped for military missions and designed to operate from unpaved runways, the Super Tucano’s unmatched weaponry capacity comes with a wide variety of external options, including conventional and laser-guided bombs, air-to-air missiles, and others.
The aircraft is also equipped with Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, including laser designator, and secure radios with datalink communications.
The Super Tucano is an innovative evolution of the world-renowned basic training Tucano aircraft, of which around 650 are in service with 15 air forces, worldwide, and was developed according to the stringent requirements of the Brazilian Air Force.
The Super Tucano was designed to operate in complex combat settings, and it is equipped with the latest technology in the avionic system, including night-vision capability, Electro- Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors including laser designation, secure communications suite and data link.
Besides a reinforced structure for operations on unpaved landing fields, the airplane has an advanced navigation and weapon aiming system that ensures high mission precision and reliability, using conventional or smart weapons, even under extreme conditions.
The aircraft requires minimal logistical support for continuous operation.
The Super Tucano is operating in five air forces, and successfully accomplishing advanced training, border surveillance, light attack and counter insurgency missions, with more than 100,000 flight hours logged.
Besides the airplane, Embraer also supplies an advanced training and support system package for Super Tucano operations. The TOSS (Training and Operation Support System) consists of four systems: CBT (Computer-Based Training) that improves pilot learning; FS (Flight Simulator); MPS (Mission Planning Stations); and MDS (Mission Debriefing Station), all developed by Embraer.
Embraer is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial jets up to 120 seats, and one of Brazil’s leading exporters. Embraer’s headquarters are located in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and it has offices, industrial operations and customer service facilities in Brazil, China, France, Portugal, Singapore, and the United States. Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft for the commercial aviation, executive aviation, and defense segments. The Company also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide.
On September 30, 2010, Embraer had a workforce of 17,009 employees – not counting the employees of its partly owned subsidiaries – and its firm order backlog totaled US$ 15.3 billion.