Minister of Defence signs letter of interest to open Embraer plant in Portugal

The Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo and the President of Embraer SA Bosco da Costa Júnior signed a letter of interest with a view to setting up an aeronautics manufacturing plant in Beja. The agreement was entered into during the ceremony to deliver the first of the 12 A-29N Super Tucano aircraft to the Portuguese Air Force at OGMA, Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal in Alverca.

The future facility will have the capacity to build A-29N Super Tucano aircraft in Portugal. Building this plant will create qualified jobs, with better wages, benefiting the economy and the Portuguese industry. The aircraft produced in this assembly line should meet the Portuguese State’s future needs and possible demand from other European nations through government-to-government negotiations to boost the defence industry in Portugal and Europe.

The signing of the letter of intent was during the delivery of the first five of the 12 aircraft to the Portuguese Air Force; a ceremony presided over by the Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo.

This is a 200-million-investment in modernising the Portuguese Air Force, 75 million of which will be allocated to the national industry through a series of companies that will be upgraded, retrofitting the aircraft for NATO requirements and technical standards.

"We are talking about new air strike capabilities with proven results to support the Detached National Forces. But we are also talking about new scenarios. The Super Tucano now offers the possibility to perform anti-drone missions, demonstrating the flexibility of the aircraft chosen by the Air Force. I stress chosen "by the Air Force" with political decisions backed by technical reports ", Nuno Melo claimed.

The A-29N Super Tucano manufactured by the Brazilian firm Embraer SA will carry out close air support missions for joint and/or combined operations. Portugal will be the first European country to fly this new aircraft version. It is also set that the training and practice for pilots will be done in Portugal.

The government’s decision is yet another step in equipping the Armed Forces, boosting the industry’s creation in Portugal. In 2025 alone, 60 new defence industry firms were born, bringing more young people to the country’s inland regions.