Embraer has marked the visit to Portugal by the President of the Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the country's aerospace companies at an event attended by Portugal's Prime Minister, António Costa. The companies involved were Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento de Produto (CEiiA), Empordef Tecnologias de Informação, S.A. (ETI), GMVIS Skysoft, S.A. (GMV) and OGMA S.A.

The main goal of the MoU is the development of the technological and industrial defense base of Portugal, reinforcing its capacity to develop engineering, research and development activities. A key aspect of this is the potential strategic relationship for the development and systems integration for the recently launched A-29N version of the Super Tucano, which is intended to meet the needs of the member countries of NATO. This includes research, technological development and innovation, with the aim to expand and increase long-term commercial relations between companies during the development, production, and support phases of the operation of the A-29N aircraft.

“I'm very pleased to celebrate a new phase in the relationship between Embraer and the Portuguese state, through the defense Industry of Portugal, which is a reference for us in cooperation in aerospace and defense projects. The results of the C-390 Millennium strategic partnership have shown the potential that companies and governments of the two countries, working together, can achieve,” says Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer.

“With the signing of this memorandum, we take another important step in the continuous development of technologies related to the A-29 Super Tucano. The interest of NATO countries in this aircraft led Embraer to announced, recently, the launch of a new version, the A-29N, which, we are sure, will achieve a great success in the international market,” adds Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO, Embraer Defense and Security.