EMBRAER CONFIRMS THE SALE OF 24 SUPER TUCANO AIRPLANES TO EQUADOR
The aircraft will be used for training and for border patrol missions
São José dos Campos, March 23, 2009 –
Embraer confirms signing the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) for the sale of 24 Super Tucano turboprop aircraft, through a contract that was finalized last year. The tandem seat airplanes will be used on border patrol missions and for pilot training. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2009.
“We are honored to expand our relationship with the Ecuadorian Government, which already operates many Embraer aircraft models,” said Orlando José Ferreira Neto, Executive Vice President, Defense and Government Market. “The Super Tucano is the ideal aircraft for surveillance and training missions and we are certain it will
fully meet the needs of the Ecuadorian Air Force. With this contract, we have now sold a total of 169 Super Tucano planes.
Relations between Embraer and the Ecuadorian Government have become much closer in recent years. TAME Línea Aérea del Ecuador, a state-owned airline, currently operates two EMBRAER 170 and three EMBRAER 190 jets. In September 2008, Embraer delivered a 50-seat ERJ 145 jet to the state-owned Petroecuador company, which uses the aircraft to transport employees between its business units within the country, and in December FAE received a 13-seat Legacy 600 jet.[/b]
The deal with FAE includes an extensive Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) package and an advanced Training and Operation Support System (TOSS), covering not only the aircraft, but also ground support stations and a flight simulator.
This is the fourth export contract signed by Embraer to supply Super Tucano aircraft to a Latin American air force. In August 2008, the Company announced a contract with the Chilean Air Force (FACh) for the sale of 12 aircraft, and at the beginning of 2009 it confirmed the sale of eight planes to the Dominican Republic Air Force. The Super Tucano currently operates in the air forces of Brazil and Colombia, successfully carrying out border patrol and other missions.
About the Super Tucano
The Super Tucano is an innovative evolution of the world-renowned basic training Tucano aircraft, of which around 650 are in service with 15 air forces, worldwide.
The Super Tucano was designed to operate in the most complex combat settings, including night vision capability, smart weaponry, and data link technology. Besides a reinforced structure for operations on rustic landing fields, the aircraft has an advanced navigation and weapon aiming system that ensures high mission precision and reliability, even under extreme conditions and without logistical support.
The aircraft is in full production on a very active and flexible assembly line, in keeping withEmbraer’s ability to meet its customer needs and deliver aircraft within short time spans. It is very important for the operational life cycle of the aircraft that a broad-based, efficient and reliable logistical support system be in place, throughout the world, for the aircraft flying on five continents.
In the Defense and Government segment, this support system gives coverage for 650 Tucanos, 250 Bandeirantes, and many other aircraft in over 20 of the world’s air forces. As for commercial aviation, Embraer provides support for more than 1,000 regional jets from the ERJ 145 family and 500 E-Jets (a family of jets with 70 to 122 seats), worldwide.
he Super Tucano's airframe was designed, both in its single- and twin-seater versions, with the latest generation technology and computer-aided tools that provide the aircraft with a
potential service life of 18,000 hours for typical training missions,or 12,000 flying hours in operational environments, depending on mission loads and utilization.
The airframe is designed to withstand
+7G/-3.5G loads.
The aircraft's structure is corrosion-protected and the side-hinged canopy has a windshield capable of withstanding a bird strike at 270 kts. The aircraft's cockpit environment has been enlarged to more comfortably accommodate male and female pilots and instrumentation has been designed to glass cockpit standards.
The Super Tucano incorporates features such as an environmental control system designed to maximize crew comfort and an On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS). Should the need arise, the Super Tucano is equipped with Martin-Baker MK-10lCX Ejection Seats incorporating a three-mode ejection sequential device.
A 1,600 SHP Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68/3 turboprop engine that incorporates FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) and EICAS (Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System) powers the aircraft.
Although it is a high-performance turboprop, the Direct Operational Cost of the Super Tucano is kept within the same range as its predecessor. The aircraft owes this advantage to improved logistics coupled with enhanced systems reliability and an Integrated Data Acquisition and Recorder (IDAR) system that helps speed maintenance work, in addition to easy component accessibility and revised inspection tasks.


The Super Tucano provides a latest generation Human-Machine Interface designed to minimize pilot workload through the optimization of all tasks (tracking, interception, surveillance, support, etc.).
Featuring a state-of-the-art avionics system structured around a MIL-STD-1533 Databus Architecture, the Super Tucano also incorporates the following systems:
• Full Hands on Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) concept
• Laser INS with GPS Navigation System
• Computerized Attack Modes (CCIP, CCRP, CCIL, etc.)
• HUD (Head Up Display) with UFCP (Up Front Control Panel)
• Two 6” x 8” Liquid crystal, active matrix Color Multi-Function Displays (CMFD) per pilot station
• Tactical V/UHF with provisions for data-links
• Integrated Radio Communication and Navigation
• Video Camera/Recorder
• NVG Gen III-compatible internal/external lighting system
• Automatic Pilot with embedded mission planning capability
• Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)
• All-glass, low workload cockpit for situational awareness
• Helmet Mounted Display System (optional)
Source: EMBRAER
http://www.embraer.com/english/content/imprensa/press_releases_detalhe.asp?id=2320
http://www.embraer.com.br/institucional/download/2_028-Com-VPD-ST_Ecuador-I-08.pdf