Petro Poroshenko, a member of parliament and leader of the European Solidarity party, said he is working on securing the delivery of 24 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft, manufactured by the Brazilian company Embraer, to Ukraine to counter Russian attack drones.
According to the European Solidarity press service, he discussed this issue during a meeting between the parliamentary faction and Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara.
"I proposed measures that will allow us to effectively counter the jet-powered Shahed and Banderole drones." During negotiations in Poland at the MSPO 2026 exhibition, we reached an agreement with the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer and selected a fleet of 24 Super Tucano aircraft, which feature high speeds, missile and artillery armament, and an armored cockpit, capable of intercepting and destroying Shahed drones," Poroshenko said.
According to him, negotiations on the implementation of this project are planned to be held with one of the NATO countries that has relevant contracts with Brazil.
Poroshenko also expressed hope that by the end of the year, Ukraine will be able to receive 24 aircraft, which will be used to provide air cover for critical infrastructure facilities.
In addition, he said, proposals from British, Lithuanian, Estonian, and Portuguese companies regarding "surface-to-air" and "air-to-air" missile systems have been submitted to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
As noted in a Breaking Defense article, Embraer is adapting the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to carry out counter-drone missions. To engage targets, the aircraft is expected to use missiles equipped with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), as well as built-in machine guns.
According to the company's assessment, the turboprop A-29 can be an effective tool for combating slow-moving aerial targets, particularly attack drones such as the Shahed, complementing ground-based air defense systems and fighter aircraft.
