On September 23, 2025, Brazilian planemaker Embraer and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) entered into an agreement for the sale of one A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to SNC. SNC is a specialist firm in aerospace and national security and signed the deal for the new aircraft at the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) Air, Space & Cyber Conference, being held in Maryland between 22 and 24 September 2025.
The supply of one of Embraer’s light attack training aircraft will allow SNC to immediately begin pilot training upon an anticipated, currently undisclosed contract award. It will also reduce the time to Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by as much as a year, said the company.
The A-29 Super Tucano is a versatile turboprop aircraft known for its rugged and durable design, which allows it to perform operations from unimproved runways and at forward operating bases in austere environments and rugged terrain. According to Embraer, it is the global leader in its class with more than 600,000 flight hours.
The aircraft will be manufactured at the Embraer defense production line located in Jacksonville, Florida. Over the course of a decade, SNC and Embraer have worked to deliver nearly 50 of the multi-mission combat aircraft to air forces around the globe.
“It is with great satisfaction that we see the A-29 made in the United States continuing its successful history,” said Frederico Lemos, Chief Commercial Officer of Embraer Defense & Security. “The Super Tucano offers unmatched light attack and multi-mission capabilities that are both effective and affordable to meet US and Allied Forces’ needs.
“At the same time, we are confident that our relationship with SNC, which extends for more than 10 years, will continue to expand given that an increased number of customers are seeing a growing need for this sort of capability.”
SNC’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Technology, Ray Fitzgerald, responded by stating, “SNC is well known for investing early and often in programs we believe in to expedite progress and performance on behalf of the warfighter.”
“By proactively pursuing this aircraft, we are happy to provide faster IOC and increased training time for the pilots who will soon fly this aircraft. We’ve long known the benefits of the A-29 Super Tucano, and with increasing FMS demand worldwide, we’re proud to continue offering this outstanding aircraft to the US and its allies, and we look forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with Embraer.”
More about the A-29 Super Tucano
The A-29 Super Tucano fulfills a wide range of missions such as advanced pilot training, close air support (CAS), air patrol, air interdiction, JTAC training, armed intelligence Surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), border surveillance, and air escort.
Due to its combination of capabilities and operational flexibility, combined with its economic life cycle cost, the Super Tucano has been selected by 22 air forces around the world. Most recently, the companies delivered three A-29 Super Tucano aircraft for the Combat Aviation Advisor (CAA) mission for the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
“The A-29 Super Tucano is the most effective multi-mission aircraft in its category, equipped with state-of-the-art technology for precise target identification, weapons systems, and a comprehensive communications suite,” added the Embraer statement.
“Its capability is further enhanced by advanced human-machine interface (HMI) avionics systems integrated into a robust airframe capable of operating without infrastructure. Furthermore, the aircraft has reduced maintenance requirements and offers a high level of reliability, availability, and structural integrity with low life cycle costs.
Who are SNC?
SNC is a renowned global specialist firm in aerospace and national security. Its solutions enable connected protection through command, control, and communications systems, as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for national security systems across sea, land, air, space, and cyber platforms.
As a privately owned firm with longstanding links to various military entities around the world, SNC describes itself as “at the optimum intersection of commercial, defense, and non-traditional contractors.”
Founded in 1963, AeroTime has most recently reported on SNC’s activities in August 2024 when it was selected by the US Army as the lead system integrator for its High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, HADES, an upcoming aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. The initial contract award was reported to be valued at $93.5 million, with a potential total value of up to $991.3 million over a 12-year period.
Additionally, in April 2024, the US Air Force announced that the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) contract was being awarded to SNC. This ‘Doomsday Plane’ contract was for a replacement of the current E-4B Nightwatch aircraft fleet. The E-4 Nightwatch is a militarized version of the Boeing 747-200, similar to the two famous VC-25A planes used as the United States presidential planes.
The initial cost of the program was estimated to be around $13 billion, with $59 million being earmarked for preliminary research and development of the bespoke and very unique aircraft. In May 2024, SNC announced the acquisition of a former Korean Air Boeing 747-8 to be converted to Doomsday Plane status.
