The Institute for Promotion and Industrial Coordination (IFI) handed over, on 05/04, by the Director General of the Aerospace Science and Technology Department (DCTA), Lieutenant-Brigadier of the Air Maurício Augusto Silveira de Medeiros, the Supplementary Final Type Certificate of the Modernized E-99 to Embraer, the company responsible for modernizing the aircraft.
The issuance of the certificate, the result of the work of technicians from the IFI's Aerospace Product Certification Division (CPA) - in interaction with Embraer - attests that the project to modernize the sensors of this aircraft meets the safety and performance requirements set forth in the contract. This means that the aircraft can fly safely and is capable of fulfilling the mission determined by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).
According to the Head of Technical Assistance at the IFI, Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Borges Basílio, the E-99M performs a very important mission for the country. "The certification of its modernization, carried out by Embraer together with the IFI, promotes a considerable improvement in the Brazilian strategic capacity, in the Task of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, in addition to the Actions of Alert in Flight and Control and Alarm in Flight", stated.
During the ceremony, Lieutenant Brigadier Medeiros commented on the E-99 modernization process, highlighting the importance of these aircraft and the relevance of the joint work of the IFI and Embraer on behalf of the FAB. “Congratulations to Embraer engineering, which worked on the design of this project, and to IFI, which certified the entire process that involved the modernization of the E-99 fleet. For me, this moment has a very special meaning, as I had the privilege of participating in the deployment of the R-99 A/B in the Second of the Sixth Aviation Group (2nd/6th GAV) and, today, I have the satisfaction of signing this certificate ", he said.
Also during the event, the Vice President and Chief Engineer of Embraer, Henrique Langenegger, gave special thanks for the work of the IFI, in the person of its Director, Colonel Aviador Luiz Marcelo Terdulino de Brito, mentioning the numerous activities involved in certifying the modernization of the E-99. “There were many trips abroad to carry out the rehearsals, in addition to planning workshops to speed up the work. The IFI was always willing to cooperate so that the activity could be carried out”, he commented.
Historic
The modernization of the E-99 aircraft introduced modifications to the Erieye Mission System, with the installation of new consoles, new radios and the implementation of audio recording and mission data, increasing the command and control capacity, mainly in composite air operations. The certification process began in 2018, under the responsibility of the CPA. From 2020 to 2023, development and certification trials took place, despite the impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout the process, 434 contractual requirements were verified, distributed among 30 different technologies, producing more than 250 technical reports. The Working Group responsible for the certification activities involved around 60 people, with the collaboration of the Aeronautics and Space Institute (IAE), the Galeão Aeronautical Material Park (PAMA-GL), the Monitoring and Control Group – Aircraft Program (GAC-PAC), the Research and Flight Testing Institute (IPEV) and the Second Squadron of the Sixth Aviation Group (2nd/6th GAV – Guardian Squadron), responsible for operating the aircraft.
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