The Uruguayan Ministry of National Defense (MDN) has converted an option for five A-29 Super Tucano aircraft into a firm order, manufacturer Embraer announced on 14 January 2025.
The agreement is part of a commitment signed in August 2024, when the Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) announced a firm order for one aircraft plus the option that has now been converted. The agreement also includes mission equipment, integrated logistics services and a flight simulator.
The contract is part of a fleet renewal programme to expand the FAU’s operational capacity. Uruguay is the sixth nation to operate the A-29 in South America.
“The relationship between Embraer and the Uruguayan Air Force has been growing and we are particularly pleased to announce this deal in the year in which we celebrate 50 years of Embraer’s first export contract, to Uruguay,” Bosco da Costa Junior, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, was quoted as saying in an Embraer press release. “We are ready to offer the best multi-mission aircraft to the FAU as well as our full support to increase their operational readiness and to enhance their capabilities to accomplish strategic missions such as border surveillance,” he added.
“The acquisition of the A-29 Super Tucano and the flight simulator will provide Uruguay with airspace defence capabilities and is part of the commitment assumed by the government to renew the material and equipment of our armed forces to fulfill their assigned missions,” Uruguayan Minister of National Defense Armando Castaingdebat was quoted as saying.
FAU Commander-in-Chief General Luis H. De León added, “This incorporation projects us technologically and, upon completion of the A-29 acquisition process, it allows us to face, together with Embraer, the new regional security paradigms.”
The FAU currently has a combat air fleet consisting of six active Cessna A-37B Dragonfly light attack aircraft, according to the FlightGlobal 2025 World Air Forces Directory. These aircraft are what remains from an original 19 A-37s delivered from 1976. Procurement of the A-29 Super Tucanos thus represents a significant step-up in the FAU’s combat air capabilities.
The A-29 Super Tucano now has 20 operators worldwide, accounting for over 290 orders for the type.
The turboprop-powered A-29 can perform a wide range of missions, including: close air support; air patrolling; special operations; air interdiction; forward air controller (FAC) and air and tactical co-ordinator (TAC) missions; armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions; border surveillance; air escort duties; and basic, operational and advanced training, including transition to air superiority fighters and FAC training.
