Embraer has announced that Boeing will supply a new advanced weapons system for the company’s Super Tucano in a move that aims to strengthen Embraer’s bid against competitor Hawker Beechcraft for a highly contentious $355 million Air Force contract.
The system, announced at the Farnborough Airshow this week, features so called laser and GPS-controlled “smart” bombs with extended range. Embraer reps are slated to unveil other details regarding the system’s capabilities soon, but did say the weapons system was contained in the company’s most recent bid submission for the Air Force contract to supply 20 light air support aircraft for delivery to Afghanistan.
