Overview
- Five A-29N aircraft were handed over to the Portuguese Air Force at OGMA’s Alverca facilities on Dec. 18, one year and one day after the acquisition contract was signed.
- The delivery is the first tranche of a 12-aircraft program valued at about €200 million to modernize Portugal’s air capabilities.
- Embraer and the Portuguese State signed a non-binding letter of interest to study establishing an A-29N final assembly line in Portugal aimed at potential government-to-government sales in Europe.
- Portuguese officials highlighted roles including pilot training, surveillance, close air support and counter-drone missions, with Defense Minister Nuno Melo emphasizing the aircraft’s flexibility for counter‑UAS tasks.
- The NATO-adapted A-29N builds on a platform adopted by 22 air forces with more than 600,000 flight hours, according to Embraer.