Embraer

The Brazilian government contributed to Embraer's early growth by providing production contracts.[11] The company sold solely to the domestic market until 1975.

While military aircraft made up the majority of Embraer's products during the 1970s and early 1980s, including the Embraer AT-26 Xavante and the Embraer EMB 312 Tucano,, it debuted a regional airliner, the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, in 1985.[12] Aimed at the export market, this plane was the first in a series of highly successful small and regional airliners.[13]

In 1974, the company started to produce Piper light airplanes under license.[14] Piper first put together knock-down kits in their US factory for Embraer to assemble and market in Brazil and Latin America. By 1978, most of the parts and components were being sourced locally.[14] Between 1974 and 2000, nearly 2,500 license-built Pipers were produced by Embraer.[14]

Aerotec was a design and manufacturing company founded in São José dos Campos in 1962 under the auspices of the Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology. Beginning in the late 1960s, the firm manufactured a two-seat trainer for the Brazilian Air Force, the Aerotec Uirapuru. A small number were also built for the civilian market, and others were exported to other Latin American countries.

By 1980, Aerotec's main business was producing components for Embraer. However, around this time, the Brazilian Air Force became interested in an upgraded version of the Uirapuru. A prototype, designated Uirapuru II, was built; but, by the time it flew, the Air Force no longer required it. A small number were built for export. In 1987, the firm was sold to Embraer.

Born from a Brazilian government plan, and having been state-run from the beginning,[8] Embraer eventually started a privatisation process in 1992 alongside other state-run companies, such as Telebras and Vale. Privatisation was a key policy of the economically liberal PRN government of Itamar Franco, elected in the 1989 presidential election.[15] Embraer was sold to private investors on December 7, 1994,[9][16] which helped it avoid a looming bankruptcy.[8] The Brazilian government retained interest through possession of golden shares, which allow it veto power.[13] Embraer continued to win government contracts throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

In 2000, Embraer made simultaneous initial public offerings on the NYSE and BM&F Bovespa stock exchanges. As of 2008 its NYSE-traded shares were American depositary receipts representing 4 BM&F Bovespa shares and it was partially owned by the Bozano Group (11.10%), Previ (16.40%), Sistel (7.40%), Dassault Aviation (2.1%), EADS (2.1%), Thales (2.1%), Safran (1.1%), and the government of Brazil (0.3% and golden share), the remainder being publicly traded.[13]

As of December 31, 2014 the shareholders with more than 5% of the company's capital were:[17]

• OppenheimerFunds, 12.29%
• Caixa de Previdência dos Funcionários do Banco do Brasil, 6.71%
• Baillie Gifford, 6.46%
• BNDESPAR, 5.31%.

In the mid-1990s, the company pursued a product line more focused on small commercial airplanes over the military aircraft that had previously made up the majority of its manufacturing.[8] It soon expanded to the production of larger regional airliners in the 70–110 seat range, and smaller business jets.[13]

Conceptual airliner illustration, with a fuselage similar to the E-Jet and turboprops above a low wing but a different T-tail design, released in October 2020.[18]

By May 2019, Embraer was considering developing a new family of turboprop regional airliners in the 50–70 seat range, complementing the E-Jet E2, so as to free engineering resources.[19][20] By July 2020, it had evolved into the 70–100 passenger range[21] In October 2020, Embraer released conceptual depictions of the 75–90 seat airliner, with a fuselage similar to the E-Jet and turboprops above a low wing but a different T-tail design. It would compete against older ATR and Dash 8 designs for 1.5 to 2 h flights over 500–700 nmi (930–1,300 km).[18]

At the 2000 Farnborough Airshow, Embraer launched the Legacy 600, a business jet variant of the Embraer Regional Jet. In 2002, a dedicated subsidiary, Embraer Executive Jets, was created, as the Legacy was introduced into service. In 2005, the Phenom 100 was first envisioned as an air taxi similar to the Eclipse 500, competing with Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft. It was introduced in 2008 and is the basis of the larger Phenom 300. The midsize Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 were jointly developed as clean sheet designs, while the Lineage 1000 is a VIP version of the E190. In 2016, Embraer delivered its 1,000th executive jet and had a market share of 17% by volume, though it lacked an ultra-long-range large cabin jet.[22] In October 2018 Embraer announced two new business jets—the Praetor 500 in the midsize cabin category—and the Praetor 600 in the super midsize category.[23]

On April 19, 2007, Embraer announced it was considering the production of a twin-jet military transport. Work began in May 2009 with funding from the Brazilian Air Force.[24] Correios, the Brazilian postal service, has shown interest in buying this aircraft.[25][26] Using much of the technology developed for the Embraer 190, the C-390 would carry up to 23 tons of cargo[27] and aims to replace Cold War-era cargo aircraft.[28]

While firm orders for the yet-to-be-produced KC-390 transport had not yet been made in the fall of 2010,[24] Argentina asked for six examples and several other South American nations also expressed interest.[29][30]

Brazil and Canada engaged in an international, adjudicated trade dispute over government subsidies to domestic plane-makers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The World Trade Organization determined that both countries had provided illegal subsidies to what were supposed to be privately owned industries. Brazil ran an illegal subsidy program, Proex, benefiting its national aviation industry from at least 1999–2000, and Canada illegally subsidized its indigenous regional airliner industry, comprising Bombardier Aerospace.

On July 5, 2018, a joint venture with Boeing was announced that would see Boeing owning 80% of Embraer's commercial aviation division.[31] This was seen as a reaction to Airbus' acquisition of a majority in the competing Bombardier CSeries on October 16, 2017.[32] Under the 2018 plan, Embraer would retain its executive business jet and its defence business.[33]

On May 23, 2019, Boeing announced that the resulting division would be known as Boeing Brasil – Commercial, dropping the Embraer name, but had not yet decided whether the aircraft would be rebranded as Boeing models.[34] On November 18, 2019, Boeing (49%) and Embraer (51%) announced a joint venture to promote and develop new markets for the C-390 Millennium tactical transport aircraft, named Boeing Embraer – Defense, to operate after the regulatory approvals and closing conditions.[35]

In April 2020, Boeing canceled its acquisition of Embraer's commercial operations after being heavily affected financially by the air crisis initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic and by the 737 Max groundings.[36][37][38]

In November 2020, Embraer announced that its loss for the third quarter of the year is $121 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions.[39]

Short Take Off Utility Transport (STOUT) concept

In December 2019, Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force tackled the development of a light military transport aircraft.[40] Renderings of a proposed hybrid electric aircraft with STOL capabilities were shown in November 2020.[40] The Short Take Off Utility Transport (STOUT) would replace its 64 EMB-110 Bandeirante (average age of 38.3 years) and 19 EMB-120 Brasilia (average age of 26.5 years) with similar dimensions.[40] Powered by two turboprops also generating power for electric-driven propellers on wingtips, it would serve remote, unpaved 1,200 m (3,940 ft) runways and have a 1,310 nm (2,425 km) range.[40] It could carry ULD pallets for a maximum payload of 3 tonnes loaded with a rear cargo ramp, or 24 paratroopers or 30 soldiers; or serve as an air ambulance.[40]

• Embraer Portugal/Europe (Évora, Portugal).
• Production facilities for the Phenom 100 and 300, and Legacy 450 and 500 at Orlando Melbourne International Airport in Florida, USA.[42]

• Harbin Embraer (Harbin, China) – manufactures aircraft from the ERJ family for the Chinese market.[47]
• Embraer's commercial airliner portfolio, as well as the KC-390, would be part of two separate joint ventures with Boeing. In the case of the civil aircraft line, Boeing would own 80% of the resulting firm.[48]

• 
  EMB 110 Bandeirante
• 
  EMB 202 Ipanema
• 
  EMB 121 Xingu
• 
  EMB 312 Tucano/314 Super T.
• 
  EMB 120 Brasilia
• 
  AMX
• 
  ERJ family/Legacy 600/R-99
• 
  E-Jet family/Lineage 1000/E-Jet E2
• 
  Phenom 100
• 
  Phenom 300
• 
  Legacy 450/500/Praetor 500/600
• 
  KC-390

By December 2018, Embraer claimed to lead the sub 150 seat jetliner market with 100 operators of the ERJ and E-Jet families.[49]

• Embraer E-Jet family
  • Embraer E170 (66–78 passengers)
  • Embraer E175 (76–88 passengers)
  • Embraer E190 (96–114 passengers)
  • Embraer E195 (100–124 passengers)
• Embraer E-Jet E2 family
  • Embraer E175-E2 (80–90 passengers)
  • Embraer E190-E2 (97–114 passengers)
  • Embraer E195-E2 (120–146 passengers)[50]

• Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
• Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
• Embraer ERJ family
  • Embraer ERJ 135 (37 passengers)
  • Embraer ERJ 140 (44 passengers)
  • Embraer ERJ 145 (50 passengers)
• Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector (prototype)

• Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano (light attack)
• Embraer R-99 series (AEW&C)
• Embraer KC-390 (medium transport)
• JAS 39 Gripen E/F (multirole fighter)[51][52]

• Embraer EMB 111 Bandeirante (light transport)
• Embraer EMB 312 Tucano (trainer)
• AMX International AMX (attack jet)
• Embraer MFT-LF (trainer/light attack, prototype only)
• Embraer Xavante (localized variant of the Aermacchi MB-326)

• Embraer Phenom 100
• Embraer Phenom 300
• Embraer Legacy 450/500 series
• Embraer Legacy 650E series
• Embraer Lineage 1000

• Embraer Legacy 600 series

• Embraer Ipanema (cropduster)

• Embraer EMB 121 Xingu (general utility)

• Embraer Sêneca (based on Piper PA-34)
• Embraer Corsico/Tupi (based on Piper PA-28)

• Embraer Carioca/Minuato/Sertanejo (based on Piper PA-32)
• Embraer Navajo (based on Piper PA-31)