Embraer Defense & Security signs sales contract for Super Tucanos with Senegal's Air Force

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Senegalese Air Force signed a contract, today, at LAAD Defence & Security, for the acquisition of three A-29 Super Tucano light attack, advanced training turboprops from Embraer Defense & Security. The event was attended by Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim, Senegalese Defense Minister Augustin Tine, Brazilian Air Force Commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Juniti Saito, and Senegalese Air Force Chief of Staff Ousmane Kane, among other authorities.

The order includes logistical support for the operation and the installation of a training system for pilots and mechanics (TOSS) in Senegal, bringing autonomy to that country's Air Force in preparing qualified personnel. The aircraft will be deployed on border surveillance and internal security missions. With this order, Senegal becomes the fourth Super Tucano customer on the African continent. Financing will be handled by Brazil's National Economic and Social Development Bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social - BNDES).

"With this contract, we are adding one more customer from the African continent, where the Super Tucano has stirred great interest," said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, President of Embraer Defense & Security. "This is a versatile and robust aircraft, with proven combat experience and it will fulfill, with excellence, the missions for which it was chosen."

Thirteen customers, worldwide, have chosen the A-29 Super Tucano. The model is operating with nine air forces in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and has surpassed 180,000 flight hours and 28,000 hours of combat. The Super Tucano has over 210 orders and more than 170 units in operation, and it is capable of carrying out a broad range of missions, including light attack, surveillance, aerial interception, and counter-insurgency. The aircraft operates with over 130 weapons configurations and is equipped with advanced electronic, electro-optical, infra-red, and laser systems, as well as secure radio systems with data link technology and an unparalleled weapons capacity, which makes it highly reliable and gives it an excellent cost-benefit ratio for a large number of military missions, even on unpaved runways and in hostile environments.

The Super Tucano is the outcome of a project developed in accordance with the rigorous demands of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), and it is totally compatible with combat operations in complex scenarios, where data exchange and information processing capabilities are required. Besides its reinforced airframe for operating on unpaved airfields, the airplane has advanced navigation and weapons guidance systems, which ensures high precision and reliability, when using both conventional and smart weaponry under extreme conditions. The airplane requires minimum logistical support for continuous operations.

About Embraer Defense & Security

With over 40 years of experience in providing Armed Forces around the world with superior platforms and systems to aid in their defense and security, Embraer Defense & Security has a growing presence in the global market, and plays a strategic role in Brazil's defense system. Embraer Defense & Security's product portfolio includes military airplanes, state-of-the-art radar technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and advanced information and communications systems, such as Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications. Embraer's airplanes and military solutions are in service with more than 50 armed forces in 48 countries.

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SOURCE Embraer S.A.