Aerospace industry in Latin America

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As part of the process of renewing its air capabilities, the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) is preparing to incorporate the first Embraer A-29N Super Tucano light attack aircraft, a specially developed variant under NATO standards. The contract for these aircraft was signed on December 16, 2024, for twelve aircraft. The Portuguese Air Force will receive twelve before the end of the year, marking a milestone by becoming the first European operator of this model. The acquisition is part of the Close Air Support (OCMA) program, aimed at strengthening training, surveillance, fire support, and tactical intervention missions.


The acquisition is part of the Close Air Support (OCMA) program, framed within the Military Programming Law (LPM) revised in August 2023, which allocates €180.5 million to the project. This initiative responds to the strategic needs defined by the so-called Military Vision 2022–2034, which prioritizes fixed-wing platforms capable of operating in permissive and semi-permissive environments, including possible deployments in Africa under missions such as the United Nations mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

The A-29Ns will be assigned to the 103rd Caracóis Squadron and will cover capabilities left over from the retirement of the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet aircraft in January 2018. In addition to advanced pilot training, the new aircraft will perform close air support (CAS), intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and ground-based air strike coordination (JTAC) roles.

Embraer se alista para entregar los primeros aviones de ataques A-29N Super Tucano a la Fuerza Aérea de Portugal

Como parte del proceso de renovación de sus capacidades aéreas, la Fuerza Aérea de Portugal (FAP) se alista para incorporar los primeros aviones de ataque

www.zona-militar.com

 

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Óscar Wenceslao Mora Velázquez, director of the company EN-TI, said that Mexico will capture double the investment in the aerospace industry in the next 3 to 5 years, due to the relocation of value chains and the experience of the companies in the manufacture of aircraft parts.

“With the numbers we are seeing, investment will double very quickly,” he said during the conference Nearshoring Aerospace: Mexico's Opportunity in the New Industrial Geopolitics Institution held as part of the Aerospace Fair Mexico (Famex) 2025.

In 2024, the aerospace industry received investments for US$11.4 billion dollars, but the arrival of capital for more than US$22 million dollars is projected, said the Mexican businessman.

“Mexico has a lot of knowledge, we manufacture a lot of maquilas and telecommunications, fiber optics and lasers could follow,” said the member of the Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry (FEMIA).

“There are interesting movements in a world market in which Mexico is in the Top 10 of the aerospace industry”, commented the founder and member of the Organizing Committee of Famex for the last 10 years.

He added that there are interesting conversations to have a maintenance hub in the south of Mexico for the European company Airbus and Lufthansa.

Mexico's Oaxaca Aerospace has aircraft for primary military maneuvers, which have an autonomy of 5 to 10 hours of flight time.

“For the aerospace industry this is a great opportunity that is happening, despite the crisis,” he said.

He said that Mexico is a worldwide reference in the aerospace industry, since it has very strong aerospace clusters such as in Monterrey, Querétaro, Chihuahua, Baja California, and there is a strong participation in Oaxaca and Yucatán.

Investment in aerospace industry expected to double in five years - MEXICONOW

Óscar Wenceslao Mora Velázquez, director of the company EN-TI, said that Mexico will capture double the investment in the aerospace industry

mexico-now.com