The networking with the Gripen gives the Super Tucano accurate airborne threat movements thanks to the Swedish jet’s advanced radar. The Brazilian Air Force uses its Super Tucanos to combat drug cartels and perform slow mover intercepts.
Brazil is looking to upgrade its A-29 Super Tucanos in a major program, with the highlight being the ability to network with its Saab Gripen E fighters. Defensa reported that the Brazilian Air Force’s (Força Aérea Brasileira, or FAB) 68 A-29 A/B Super Tucanos will be upgraded to the A-29M standard with electro-optical sensors and a new cockpit with a WAD (Wide-Angle Display), similar to the one on the Gripen, to replace the two multi-function displays which had a design similar to the F-5M Tiger II.
The integration with the Gripen, of which Brasilia recently announced increasing its order by 25%, will be done thanks to a BR-2 data link, which will also help the propeller light fighter to connect with the E-99 AEW&C (Airborne Warning and Control) aircraft. “Other features include new missile protection systems and additional armor,” Defensa added.
The project is slated to commence by 2025, and will be preceded by a feasibility study followed by the process to select the contractors. The Super Tucano is a unique aircraft which, although it is a basic flight trainer at its core, is used by the FAB as a light attack, CAS (Close Air Support) and SMI (Slow Mover Intercept) roles.
✈️ Confira alguns cliques registrados durante a primeira semana do Exercício Cruzeiro do Sul (CRUZEX):
1️⃣ F-39E Gripen da FAB liderando “fast formation” durante o Media Flight 2024;
2️⃣ Paraquedistas (@bdainfpqdt_exercito) do Exército Brasileiro (@exercito_oficial) e FAB em salto… pic.twitter.com/43snw6FgeA
— Força Aérea Brasileira 🇧🇷 (@fab_oficial) November 8, 2024
Tactical use
The Aviationist had reported how on April 9 and 10, 2024, the BAF’s Super Tucanos had intercepted two drug planes as they discreetly entered Brazil’s airspace without a flight plan. The smugglers chose to crash the aircraft on both occasions to avoid capture.
The networking with the Gripen provides the Super Tucano accurate airborne threat movements by using the Swedish jet’s advanced radar. The propeller plane meanwhile exploits its low speed, low-flying, high loiter time capabilities to observe and/or engage both low-altitude aerial and ground targets.
Drug cartels have long operated in Brazil’s massive and dense Amazon rainforests, threatening both ecology and internal security. The Super Tucanos evolved to be a part of the Integrated Border Protection Program. A 2021 incident saw A-29s shooting down an aircraft carrying 265 kg of drugs after it continued to spurn instructions, despite warning shots.
The A-29 Super Tucano, also known as the EMB 314, is used by 15 other air forces, including the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, which received three units early in Oct. 2024. The Super Tucanos were originally acquired by the Air Force Special Operations Command, “but divested after mission requirements changed.” This was after the conclusion of the war in Afghanistan, with the USAF training Afghan pilots to fly the A-29.
Enhances Saab Gripen’s marketability
Saab has been looking to deepen its presence in Latin America, following its big foray there in the 2014 deal with Brazil for 36 Gripen-E/F jets, worth $5.4 billion at the time. The highlight of the deal was Saab’s partnership with Brazilian aerospace major Embraer for manufacturing 15 of the jets at its Sao Paolo plant under a ToT (Transfer of Technology) agreement. Eight Gripens have been delivered to the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira).
Brazilian Gripen Es then made their debut in the CRUZEX exercise at Brazil’s Natal Air Base in Rio Grande do Norte, which was held from Nov. 3 to Nov. 15, 2024. The FAB’s Super Tucanos also figured prominently, flying in various missions with foreign aircraft.
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— Força Aérea Brasileira 🇧🇷 (@fab_oficial) November 11, 2024
With Colombia also reportedly considering the Saab Gripen and the Dassault Rafale to replace its older Israeli Kfir fighters, Saab has been believed to suggest the prospective Colombian jets to be manufactured at the Brazilian facility, showcasing Sweden’s and its defense major’s local industry-friendliness. A major development was Brazil announcing to increase its current contract for Gripens by 25%, with Sweden also declaring entering negotiations to purchase Embraer’s C-390 twin-engine military transport aircraft.
As per a statement from Stockholm, the LoI (Letter of Intent) signed between defense ministers Pål Jonson and José Múcio “sets out the two countries’ desire to expand cooperation in the aerospace area.”
“Brazil has now stated that it plans to increase the current contract for JAS 39 Gripen aircraft by 25 per cent,” added the statement. “At the same time, Sweden is interested in purchasing Embraer C-390 transport aircraft from Brazil. By signing the LOI the Swedish government is ready to task the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish Armed Forces to begin negotiations with the aim to purchase C-390 aircraft.”
With Brazil being the C-390’s primary user, other European operators include Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands and Portugal. Sweden would therefore become the C-390’s sixth European user. Integrating the Super Tucano with the Gripen can therefore be highlighted by the Swedes underscoring both the Gripen’s military utility and compatibility with other non-Swedish systems.
✈️ Confira alguns cliques registrados durante a primeira semana do Exercício Cruzeiro do Sul (CRUZEX):
1️⃣ F-39E Gripen da FAB liderando “fast formation” durante o Media Flight 2024;
2️⃣ Paraquedistas (@bdainfpqdt_exercito) do Exército Brasileiro (@exercito_oficial) e FAB em salto… pic.twitter.com/43snw6FgeA
— Força Aérea Brasileira 🇧🇷 (@fab_oficial) November 8, 2024
While the scale and extent of ToT from Saab to Embraer for manufacturing the Gripen is not known, it is inconceivable for the Brazilian defense firm to have technical issues while integrating the two platforms. Any legal permissions from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (Saab) for fusing other foreign platforms are also unlikely, given the precedent set by the massive defense-technological cooperation.
