Brazil’s Embraer has secured a services agreement with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to support its fleet of A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft, the company announced on 1 March 2023.
The value of the deal was not announced, but Embraer noted that the agreement involved providing support in relation to more than 200 parts on the aircraft.
Embraer delivered six A-29 Super Tucanos to the Philippines in October 2020 under a contract signed in November 2017. The aircraft are operated and maintained by the PAF’s 15th Strike Wing, located at Danilo Atienza Air Base on the Cavite Peninsula in Manila Bay.
The PAF uses its A-29s for close air support, light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception, and counter-insurgency missions. The type can also operate as an advanced turboprop trainer.
“Staying close to our customers and supporting them in their missions is core to what we do,” Rinaldo Piubeli Prado, Embraer’s Vice President of Worldwide Defense & Security Customer Support & Aftermarket Sales, was quoted as saying on 1 March. “Leveraging on our customer support team in [the] Asia Pacific, we are honoured to support the Philippine Air Force as they deploy the A-29 and utilise it to its fullest potential.”
Last year, Embraer’s worldwide fleet of A-29 Super Tucanos reached 500,000 flight hours, the company noted in its press release. With more than 260 units delivered worldwide, the type has already been selected by more than 15 air forces.
Peter Felstead
