Panama signs contract to acquire the Super Tucano as new platform for the National Air and Naval Service

Embraer, a global leader in the aerospace industry, and Panama have completed the signing of a contract for the acquisition of four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. The fleet will be operated by the Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) as a new surveillance and protection platform.

“It's an honor for Embraer to see another Latin American country choose the A-29 Super Tucano to leverage its surveillance, reconnaissance and protection capabilities,” says Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “Panama’s choice of the Super Tucano, a world leader in its category, will certainly serve as a strong ally to support the country in its mission to maintain national sovereignty.”

The announcement is part of the entity's program to structure and expand operational capacity and will largely benefit the national security project underway in the country. With the signing of the contract, Panama becomes the eighth Latin American nation to choose the A-29 Super Tucano, along with Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.

The Super Tucano is the global leader in its category with more than 600,000 flight hours. Currently, 22 air forces have selected the Super Tucano, and other nations have already shown interest in the platform due to the combination of reliability, availability, robustness and low operating costs.

The Super Tucano is designed for air forces seeking a proven, comprehensive, efficient, reliable, and cost-effective solution on a single platform, coupled with great operational flexibility. The aircraft operates in a wide range of missions, such as air patrol, special operations, air and tactical coordinator (TAC), ISR, border surveillance and monitoring, control of illicit activities, reconnaissance, air escort, and basic, operational and advanced pilot training.