Embraer, SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil: Embraer received the first AMX jet from the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) to have its systems and technology updated. The goal of the modernization project for the AMX jets, called A-1 by the FAB, is to keep the fleet of 53 on active duty for another 20 years. The AMX is one of the most efficient combat planes in activity in the country and was manufactured by Embraer from 1989 to 2000.
The upgrading of the AMX will incorporate the most advanced avionics systems, weaponry and sensors, and most of the components used are made in Brazil. Thus, the aircraft will achieve the same operational level as the most advanced combat planes available on the market.
“We are highly honored to meet the needs of the FAB as it fulfills its constitutional mission of defending the Nation,” said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, Executive Vice-President, Defense and Government Market. “Once again, we have the opportunity to be the integrating force for new technologies, involving other companies from the defense industry in Brazil,” added Aguiar, who remembers that this modernization process is not only highly important for the FAB, but also for the aeronautics industry and for Embraer, itself.
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“The AMX is the pro-Brazil differential in South America, due to its operational capacity obtained when complying with requirements established in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The technological updating of the airplane seeks to introduce new capacities, which will permit it to fulfill its mission over the next 20 years,” explained Mayor General Nôro, Deputy Director of Development and Programs (Subdiretor de Desenvolvimento e Programas – SDDP) and President of the Coordinating Committee for the Combat Aircraft Program (Comissão Coordenadora do Programa Aeronave de Combate – COPAC).
The AMX, called the A-1 by the FAB, is an air-to-surface attack jet which is also used on aerial reconnaissance missions. In 1977, the Italian Air Force held a public bid for developing a fighter-bomber. Two Italian companies Aeritalia, now known as Alenia Aeronautica, and Aermacchi presented a joint proposal, with work beginning in April 1978. In March 1981, the Italian and Brazilian governments concluded a collective requirements agreement for the aircraft, and Embraer was invited to join the program. Thus was born the AMX, which was designed, developed and produced by a consortium formed by the three companies.
The first prototype flew on May 15, 1984, and series production began two years later, with the first planes delivered to FAB and the Italian Air Force in 1989. Over the next 11 years, up to 2000, nearly 200 of these airplanes were produced. The Italian AMX squadrons flew 252 combat missions in the war in Kosovo, Serbia, in 1999, as part of Operation Allied Force, without losing a single aircraft. In Brazil, the A-1 is flown by the first and third squadrons of the tenth Aviation Group (1st/10th GAv – Poker Squadron, and 3rd/10th GAv Centauro Squadron, respectively), both of which are headquartered at the Santa Maria Air Base, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and by the 1st/16th GAv – Adelphi Squadron, headquartered at Santa Cruz Air Base, in the State of Rio de Janeiro.
Some of the main benefits of modernizing the FAB’s AMX jets are:
– Generating technology in the area of integrating state-of-the art avionics systems and developing software built-in in Brazil, by taking advantage of the knowledge acquired from the AL-X (Embraer A-29 Super Tucano) and F-5BR (Northrop F-5 Tiger II) projects;
– Autonomy, in Brazil, for integrating new systems and sensors, as well as local logistical support;
– Consolidating the aeronautics companies that focus on electronic defense;
– Maintaining and expanding Embraer’s technological capacity for developing new products for the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, thus generating possible exports;
– Increasing the current reliability and availability of the fleet and boosting operational capacity;
– Reducing equipment, system and technology obsolescence;
– Independence for maintaining the fleet, in relation to foreign suppliers, since the Nation will take total control of operational software;
– Extension of the operational life of the AMX aircraft for another 20 years.
Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A.) 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, the United States, France, Portugal, China and Singapore. Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft for the Commercial Aviation, Executive Aviation, and Defense and Government segments. The Company also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide. On June 30, 2007, Embraer had a workforce of 23,637 employees and a firm order backlog of US$ 15.6 billion.
