The Super Tucano and Portugal: Why It Makes More Sense Than It Seems
Since the announcement of the Super Tucano acquisition to join the ranks of the Portuguese Air Force, through to the arrival of the first units, the reception has been one of mixed feelings. On one side, the sceptics - “a propeller aircraft in the age of stealth jets” - on the other, those who looked at this acquisition with the potential it genuinely holds. The truth is, when you analyse the aircraft with rigour and without bias, the decision proves not only correct, but strategically sound.
Let’s get to what matters.
The A-29N in Portuguese Air Force colours - the NATO-standard variant that put Portugal on the map as the Alliance's first operator of the type. | Credit: Embraer
A Platform That Speaks for Itself
We are talking about a twin-seat turboprop aircraft with a low acquisition cost and, equally, a low cost per flight hour - two factors that, in a defence budget context always under pressure, are impossible to ignore. But there’s more: Portugal became the first NATO country to operate this system, which led Embraer to develop the A-29N variant, specifically designed to meet Alliance standards. This not only strengthens the ties between Portugal and Brazil, but cements Portugal in the role of launch customer - serving as a reference and example for other allies. This was not an isolated case: the same phenomenon occurred with the KC-390 Millennium, also from Embraer, where Portugal once again led the way.
The first A-29N units officially handed over to the Portuguese Air Force on December 17, 2025, at OGMA facilities — a milestone that made Portugal the first NATO nation to operate the type. | Credit: Portuguese Air Force
Advanced Training: A Long-Overdue Gap to Fill
Looking at the aircraft and the mission types in which it can be employed, one of the most immediate - and perhaps most uncontroversial - vectors is advanced training. Since Portugal retired and decommissioned the Alpha-Jet from operational service, a significant gap has emerged in the training pipeline for pilots seeking to continue their careers in fighter squadrons, at the controls of the F-16. The Super Tucano bridges that gap, easing the transition between aircraft such as the Chipmunk and TB-30, and reaction fighters. It is equipped with similar - in some cases shared - systems, can be used in ground attack and dogfight training scenarios, and is already capable of replicating the environment and G-forces that fighter pilots will eventually have to manage. It is not a replacement for the F-16. It is the missing step to get there.
The morning after the handover ceremony, the A-29N Super Tucanos touched down at Air Base No. 11 - home of Squadron 101 "Roncos" - where the propellers had barely stopped before a new chapter in Portuguese Air Force history began. | Credit: Portuguese Air Force
Combat: More Versatile Than It Looks
This is where the argument gains a dimension that many overlook. The low cost per flight hour allows the Super Tucano to be deployed in operations where the anti-aircraft threat is limited or absent - and such theatres are far from rare in today’s world.
Consider the United States: the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), which forms the air component of USSOCOM, invested in aircraft such as the OA-1K Skyraider II - a heavily militarised version of a basic agricultural aircraft, the AT-802 - specifically for Close Air Support (CAS) missions in low-threat environments, supporting special operations forces. Simultaneously, through ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems, the aircraft monitors the area of operations, ensuring there are no unpleasant surprises for the personnel on the ground. The A-29 Super Tucano can do exactly that.
Being realistic: Portugal does not operate at the tempo of American Special Forces. But it is part of an alliance. At any moment it may need to deploy assets, air or otherwise, to a joint operation. It is always useful to have these cards available.
There is, however, a more immediate and concrete reality. Since 2017, Portugal has had troops deployed in the Central African Republic as part of MINUSCA, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR. Those troops operate with limited air support assets, such as helicopter detachments from other nations. Having a handful of Super Tucanos in that theatre would be, at minimum, a dual-effect factor: on one hand, a psychological guarantee for personnel on the ground: they know something is there to protect them; on the other, a significant deterrent for anyone considering provocations. Not a small thing.
It also bears noting that this is a guerrilla warfare environment, with dense jungle and forest terrain interspersed with open areas, a scenario not entirely unlike what Portugal faced during the Overseas War, where aircraft such as the T-6 were widely used as CAS platforms for troops on the ground. The Super Tucano has an additional trump card in this context: the ability to operate from temporary, unpaved strips. A versatility no reaction fighter can offer.
A glimpse of what the A-29N brings to the table — from laser-guided bombs and rocket pods to EO/IR targeting systems, the Super Tucano's arsenal offers over 160 possible configurations. | Credit: Embraer Official Brochure
The New Paradigm: Drones, and the Need to Stop Them
It would be impossible to write about this topic in 2025 without addressing the elephant in the room: drones. The conflict in Ukraine has fundamentally reshaped how we think about airspace. Drone interception requires multiple layers: man-portable systems, high-power microwave weapons, lasers, kinetic projectiles, jamming systems, MANPADs, vehicle-mounted launchers, and so on. But the airborne layer exists and has been used.
What has been observed in Ukrainian skies is telling: from the use of fighters for interceptions, to more cost-efficient solutions such as the Yak-52, a basic training aircraft that first flew in 1976, and the AN-28, a STOL utility aircraft with a first flight in 1973, now equipped with ISR systems and armament such as the Dillon Aero M-134D Gatling. The use of platforms like the Super Tucano for this type of mission is more than justified. A low operating cost aircraft capable of carrying cannons and laser-guided rocket pods, systems increasingly being integrated into NATO Air Force fighters, transforms the Super Tucano into a genuine drone interception system. Effective, affordable, and available.
Embraer's counter-UAS upgrade for the A-29 Super Tucano - turning an already versatile platform into a cost-effective answer to one of the most pressing threats on the modern battlefield. Credit: Embraer
The EEZ: One of the World’s Largest, and Not Always Well Guarded
There is yet another vector rarely discussed, but worth attention: Portugal’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Portugal holds one of the largest EEZs in the world: the 20th largest globally and the 5th in Europe; and patrolling it is a permanent challenge. For that, the aircraft of choice will remain the P-3C Cup+, in service with Esquadra 601 - “Lobos”: equipped with the necessary sensors, offering greater endurance and range, built for long-duration patrol missions, even capable of shutting down one of its four engines to maximise time on station. But the Super Tucano remains an excellent platform to complement the P-3s’ work, particularly along the coastal fringe.
And there is more: similarly to what was said about special operations support, this asset can be employed in VBSS (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure) operations, counter-narcotics, and counter-piracy. They fly in a holding pattern while teams conduct the approach, maintaining active surveillance of the area of operations. If necessary, they deter. If required, they strike. They guarantee the protection of military personnel on the ground, and make clear to any hostile force exactly what the cost of “fuck around and find out” looks like.
The A-29N is no stranger to the sea. Its ISR capabilities and loitering endurance make it a natural fit for maritime patrol, anti-piracy operations, and VBSS support - quietly watching, ready to act. | Credit: Embraer Official Brochure
Conclusion: This Is Not Nostalgia. It Is Strategy.
Looking at things as they are, the acquisition of the Super Tucano for Portugal is, beyond a strategic decision, an assertion of leadership in the face of the new paradigm of modern conflict. By investing in a platform that may appear anachronistic to those who think of air combat solely in beyond-visual-range terms, Portugal acknowledges what real operational theatres have consistently demonstrated: adaptability is worth as much as sophistication.
From drone interception to the coastal patrol of one of the world’s largest EEZs; from CAS in low-threat theatres to the realities of FAC(A) (Forward Air Controller Airborne), TAC(A) (Tactical Air Coordinator Airborne), SCAR (Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance) and Air Interdiction, all of this in a platform capable of operating day and night, from any dirt strip, at an operating cost that does not strain the budget.
The Super Tucano did not come to replace the F-16. It came to fill what the F-16 cannot, or should not, do. In defence, that is called complementarity. A virtue rarely celebrated, but one that frequently makes all the difference.
Close Air Support is where the A-29 family has proven itself in combat - thousands of hours over real battlefields, coordinating with ground forces to find, fix, and finish the target. The A-29N brings that same DNA, now flying under NATO standards. | Credit: Embraer Official Website
The A-29 Super Tucano (registered PT-ZTU) at Beja Air Show 2024, between a demonstration flight and static display. Shortly after, Portugal would become the first NATO nation to make it their own. | Credit: Author
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Based on the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano official brochure (March 2025) and open-source operational references.
