A delegation of the Polish military recently announced that the Embraer light attack aircraft is being considered as a candidate to meet the country’s future operational requirements. A-29 Super Tsukano and medium transport aircraft Embraer C/KC-390 Millennium was evaluated.
According to specialized media outlet Defense24, the visit to Embraer’s defense and security sector facilities in Brazil took place in mid-January.
The delegation included officials from the Polish Air Force and was led by its deputy commander, Major General Ireneusz Nowak. The itinerary included confirmation of the demonstration capabilities of both aircraft, a familiarization flight with the C/KC-390 Millennium and A-29 Super Tucano, and a tour of a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s production line.
In addition to the hands-on activities, technical specifications for the aircraft, configuration options, estimated acquisition costs, potential operating costs, and preliminary commercial proposals for future contracts were presented.
The Polish delegation also met with officials from the Portuguese Air Force, one of the main operators of the KC-390 Millennium. Portugal has already ordered six aircraft to expand its fleet, and is also acting as a reseller of the platform.
In the tactical transport field, Warsaw is weighing the KC-390 Millennium against the American-made Lockheed Martin C-130J-30. The Brazilian aircraft uses engines derived from the Airbus A320 family, and the expected catalog price is said to be approximately USD 85 million.
The A-29 Super Tukano, on the other hand, is traditionally known for counterinsurgency operations and has not been a priority for Poland. For similar reasons, a combat version of the domestic trainer PZL PZL-130 Orlik has not been developed.
But Embraer is now using the SuperTsukano as a heavy-duty one-way attack (OWA) kamikaze UAV, i.e. Shahed It pitches itself as a platform optimized to counter these types of threats. This is an approach consistent with Poland’s efforts to strengthen its ability to deal with unmanned systems.
Source and image: Embraer | Defence24. This content was created with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
