Brazil’s Embraer to build NATO-approved aircraft in Portugal

10:24 pm Friday, April 21st, 2023

LISBON (Reuters) – Brazil’s Defence Minister Jose Mucio said on Friday his country’s planemaker Embraer SA would manufacture aircraft that meet NATO’s requirements in a partnership with Portuguese aerospace company OGMA.

Embraer, which holds 65% of OGMA’s capital, makes several types of planes, including a light attack aircraft called “Super Tucano”.

The company launched last week the A-29 Super Tucano with a NATO configuration, initially focussing on meeting the needs of European nations.

But Mucio previously said that manufacturing the aircraft – not just the Super Tucano but others too – in Brazil to sell them in Europe did not always meet all of the NATO requirements.

Mucio said certifying the company’s aircraft by NATO could open doors in the European market and others and that production in Portugal was “important because it already meets NATO’s pre-requisites”.

“We are going to manufacture Brazilian aircraft with NATO characteristics,” said Mucio, who is in Portugal with other ministers as part of a five-day state visit by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The Brazilian delegation is scheduled to visit OGMA’s headquarters near Lisbon on Monday.

Embraer also manufacturers the KC-390 military cargo aircraft and it aims for more international deals to sell it.

In 2019, the Portuguese government said it would buy five of Embraer’s KC-390 military transport aircraft and a flight simulator for 827 million euros. Countries such as Sweden and Colombia have recently expressed interest in buying it, too.

Two sources familiar with the matter said on last week that Austria was looking to advance in talks with Embraer on purchasing four or five KC-390 military cargo aircraft.

Mucio said Embraer wanted to export the KC-390 to more European countries.

    “President (Lula) wants to encourage the Brazilian defence industry and increase investment in the defence industry,” Mucio said.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by William Mallard)