Brazil’s Embraer delivered four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the Paraguayan Air Force (FAP) on 30 June 2025.
A handover ceremony, held at Silvio Pettirossi Air Force Base near the capital, Asunción, was attended by a number of Paraguayan civil and military leaders, including President Santiago Peña, Vice President Pedro Alliana, Minister of National Defence E J Óscar González and Commander of the FAP General Júlio Fullaondo.
Embraer announced at the Farnborough International Airshow on 23 July 2024 that the FAP had ordered six A-29 Super Tucanos. The multi-mission A-29 is expected to operate across a variety of roles in FAP service, including armed reconnaissance, air patrolling, close air support, light attack and advanced training missions.
“The arrival of these aircraft represents much more than a logistical addition: it is a firm step towards the modernisation of our operational capabilities,” Gen Fullaondo was quoted as saying in an Embraer press release. “The A-29 Super Tucanos, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, increase our effectiveness in executing airspace surveillance missions and providing a timely response to emerging challenges. This effort is a clear example of our vision for the future and our commitment to modernising our capabilities. Furthermore, this addition to our aircraft fleet represents the most important defence acquisition in the last 38 years; the A-29s delivered to Paraguay are the most modern of their kind in the world. It should be emphasized that these actions should not be considered an expense, but an investment to guarantee security, national sovereignty, and sustainable development.”
“We are delighted to deliver the first four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, out of a total of six units, to the Paraguayan Air Force,” added Bosco da Costa Junior, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “The aircraft is a benchmark in the international market due to its versatility, operational flexibility and agility in various types of missions, including light attack and advanced training, and we are confident that it will meet the current and future needs of the FAP.”
The turboprop-powered A-29 offers a wide range of missions such as advanced pilot training; combat air support; air patrolling and interdiction; joint terminal attack controller training; armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance duties; border surveillance; and air escort missions.
The FAR received the first four of six A-29 Super Tucanos on 30 June 2025 during a handover ceremony at Silvio Pettirossi Air Force Base near the Paraguayan capital, Asunción. [Embraer]Embraer claims the A-29 Super Tucano is “the most effective multi-mission aircraft in its category, equipped with state-of-the-art technology for precise target identification, weapons systems, and a comprehensive communications suite”.
The aircraft’s capabilities are “further enhanced by advanced human-machine interface (HMI) avionics systems integrated into a robust airframe capable of operating from unpaved runways, in austere environments and with little infrastructure,” Embraer stated in its press release, adding that the aircraft “has reduced maintenance requirements and offers high levels of reliability, availability and structural integrity, with low life-cycle costs”.
The worldwide A-29 fleet recently passed milestone of 600,000 flight hours. Selected by the air forces of 22 countries, the Super Tucano has received at total of more than 290 orders.
Adrian Fei Kunze
