Embraer SA is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation that designs and manufactures a wide range of aircraft.
Embraer is the third largest producer of commercial transport aircraft worldwide after Boeing and Airbus, and the only manufacturer of commercial jet aircraft in Central and Latin America.
The company participates significantly in military aviation, ranking among the top 100 defence contractors.
Embraer is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, with offices and operations in China, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore and the US.
Desiring to develop a domestic aircraft industry, the Brazilian government invested in the aerospace industry during the 1940s and 1950s. But, it was not until 1969, after a 1964 military coup d'état, that Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (shortened to Embraer) was established as a government-owned corporation.
Embraer's early growth was boosted by the Brazilian government's military aircraft contracts. It sold solely to the domestic market until 1975.
While military aircraft made up the majority of Embraer's products during the 70s and early 80s, it pioneered an indigenous regional aircraft, the EMB 110 Bandeirante, which made its first flight in 1968, and the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, launched in 1985. Aimed at the export market, the EMB family of the Brasilia and Bandeirante was the first in a series of highly successful small regional aircraft.
In addition to its own line, in 1974 Embraer was licensed by the US Piper Aircraft to develop, produce and market its light aircraft, as Brazil was one of the world's leading importers of small single- or twin-engine aircraft.
Piper first put together knock-down kits in its US factory for Embraer to assemble and market in Brazil and Latin America. By 1978, most parts and components were being sourced by Embraer locally. Between 1974 and 2000, nearly 2,500 licence-built Pipers were produced by Embraer.
Embraer started a privatisation process in 1992, alongside other state-run companies. It was sold to private investors on December 7, 1994. The Brazilian government retained control through the possession of golden shares allowing veto powers.
In the mid-1990s, the company pursued a product line focused on small commercial aircraft over the military aircraft that had previously made up the majority of its manufacturing business.
It soon expanded to produce larger regional aircraft in the 70-110 seat range and smaller business jets.
Embraer penetrated the global commercial aircraft market by manufacturing its aircraft to the airworthiness standards of the US FAA FAR Part 25 – Airworthiness; Standards: Transport Category Aircraft and the European Joint Aviation Requirements for Large Aeroplanes – JAR 25.
[caption id="attachment_1131649" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The LIAT 20 EMB 145 Jet arrives at Piarco International Airport on December 19, 2024. - File photo by Faith Ayoung[/caption]
In 1989, Embraer launched the family of regional jets (ERJ) with the development of the ERJ 145. Its early design was
