11:25 GMT, March 22, 2010 São José dos Campos | Embraer is heading for Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL), in Santiago, Chile, to take part in the 16th edition of the biennial Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio, FIDAE 2010, March 23-28. In chalet B1/B2, the Company will present a demonstrator of its Command and Control systems to invited guests and customers. A Super Tucano military advanced trainer and light attack aircraft belonging to the Chilean Air Force (FACH), as well as a Phenom 100 entry level executive jet, will be exhibited at the static display.

Embraer has scheduled two press conferences for FIDAE. The first one, on Tuesday, March 23, at 3:00 p.m., in room 2, features the latest news regarding the Company’s defense systems and products. The second, on Wednesday, at 12:30 p.m., in room 1, is dedicated to presenting the most recent achievements in Executive Jets development, operation, and customer support.

FIDAE (www.fidae.cl) has been held in Santiago since 1980, and targeting aerospace and defense solutions. The air show also showcases commercial and executive aviation, aircraft maintenance, airport equipment, and space technology. According to the event’s organizers, the last edition of the event attracted 423 exhibitors, including Embraer, from 43 countries.


Embraer’s portfolio

Beginning with the Bandeirante, a 19-seat turboprop, Embraer took its first flights in the commercial aviation market 40 years ago. Although out of production, the EMB 110 Bandeirante and the EMB 120 Brasilia continue to fly in a number of countries. The big break, however, came with the ERJ 145 family of regional jets. Since December 1996, nearly 900 jets (more than 1,100, including the business and military derivatives) have been manufactured and delivered, worldwide. Currently, the ERJ 145 is manufactured in Harbin, China, in a joint venture between Embraer and the Aviation Industry of China (AVIC). With the market demand for larger and more modern aircraft, Embraer launched the E-Jets family, in 1999, composed of four aircraft with capacities from 70 to 122 seats. Deliveries began five years later and, today, more than 620 jets have been delivered, surpassing 3.7 million flight hours and carrying nearly 200 million passengers.

Embraer is building a solid Executive Jets portfolio, after earlier experiences with special versions of the Bandeirante and the Brasilia for private and corporate use. The first executive jet was the super midsize Legacy 600, which entered operation, in 2002, with more than 180 delivered, to date. Given the growing need for efficient business flights for a broader range of customer demands, the entry level Phenom 100 and light Phenom 300 jets were launched, in 2005, followed by the ultra-large Lineage 1000, in 2006. Today, more than 110 Phenoms and three Lineage 1000 jets have been delivered, worldwide. In 2008, Embraer launched the development of the midlight Legacy 450 and midsize Legacy 500 jets, the only ones in their categories to offer full fly-by-wire technology and a comfortable flat-floor and stand-up cabin. After its announcement in 2009, the Company is certifying the large cabin, long-range Legacy 650, this year, thus rounding out Embraer’s modern, innovative, and reliable line of executive jets.

Embraer’s first product for the Brazilian military was the landmark Bandeirante. Then came the assembly of the advanced training and ground attack Xavante jet in the ‘70s, under license from Italy’s Aermacchi, followed by the Company’s first pressurized aircraft, the Xingu. Also in cooperation with Italy, Embraer joined the AMX program to develop a subsonic light attack jet in the ‘80s; at the same time, the successful Tucano, which had more than 600 units delivered, entered operation. In recent years, the Company’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) solutions, based on the proven ERJ 145 platform, as well as the Super Tucano, which is a more modern version of the Tucano for advanced training and light attack, with more than 170 units sold, entered operation in many countries, also being deployed on counter insurgency (COIN) missions. Currently, the KC-390 military transport and refueling jet is under development in a partnership with the Brazilian Air Force.

All of Embraer’s aircraft are backed by a worldwide network of Company-owned and authorized service centers, as well as a number of programs for providing timely parts, tools, Aircraft On Ground (AOG) support, and inventories at strategically located sites.