Brazilian Embraer has announced that it has secured a firm order for the delivery of A-29 Super Tucano turboprop attack aircraft. The customer is Uruguay, which expressed its intention to purchase these aircraft back in July 2024, but has only now formalized a complete order.
In total, Uruguay is acquiring five A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, which fulfills the option and brings the total number of ordered units to six, as one aircraft was purchased on August 26 of last year. The cost of the deal and delivery timelines have not been disclosed, but in addition to the aircraft, a simulator and mission equipment will also be supplied.
However, back in the summer of 2024, it was reported that the entire contract would cost Uruguay 100 million dollars for six Super Tucano, and these are used aircraft. At a minimum, Portugal plans to spend around 200 million euros for 12 used Super Tucano aircraft upgraded to the A-29N standard, which meets NATO requirements, according to reports.
For Embraer, Uruguay marks the sixth customer for this aircraft in South America and the 21st worldwide, including Brazil. This agreement is particularly notable because Uruguay will transition from jet combat aircraft to turboprop ones with this purchase. Interestingly, throughout the 20th century, the trend was the opposite, with turboprop planes being replaced by jets.
The fact is that the combat component of the Uruguayan Air Force consists of 12 A-37B Dragonfly jet attack aircraft from Cessna, produced in the 60s and 70s. It is unknown how many of these are still operational and capable of performing combat tasks. The A-29 Super Tucano is being procured specifically to replace them.
Meanwhile, if we compare the specifications, the jet Dragonfly has better flight performance than the Super Tucano, of course, without discussing the combat capabilities. The maximum takeoff weight of the A-37B is 6.3 tons, with a payload capacity of up to 2.7 tons, while the turboprop A-29 has a maximum takeoff weight of 5.4 tons and a payload capacity of 1.5 tons, respectively. The combat radius also favors the jet aircraft, with 740 km compared to 550 km for the turboprop. However, the operating cost will evidently be lower for the single-engine turboprop A-29 Super Tucano.