How Did Embraer Get Started Making Jets? A Look At The Company's History

Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, started making jets shortly after it began making propeller-driven planes. The company was founded through Legal Decree on August 19, 1969, beginning operations on January 2, 1970. Embraer's first product was the Bandeirante, also known as the EMB 110. It was a turboprop twin-engine plane able to carry 15 to 21 passengers, designed for both military and commercial use. Embraer followed this up with its first jet, the EMB 326 Xavante. The Italian company Aermacchi designed it while Embraer assembled it in Brazil under license.

The Xavante completed its initial flight on September 7, 1971, becoming the first jet ever manufactured in Brazil. A total of 182 EMB 326 Xavantes were produced. Most (167) were purchased for the Brazilian Air Force, while nine went to Paraguay, and Togo bought six. During the 1980s, Embraer partnered with Italian companies Aermacchi and Alenia to develop the AMX, a single-engine fighter jet designed for attack missions. Following the failed CBA 123 Vector turboprop project of the early 1990s, company engineers went back to the drawing board and came up with a winner.

This was the ERJ 145, a narrow-bodied jet with two engines and a capacity for 37 to 50 passengers. Embraer achieved great success with this aircraft, which spawned a complete family of regional commuter jets, including the ERJ 135, ERJ 140, ERJ 145, and ERJ 145XR. This laid the groundwork for Embraer later becoming one of the world's best private jet manufacturers.

Embraer saw significant success with the ERJ family of planes, which established the Brazilian company as a major player in the commercial aviation market. In addition to its widespread use as a commuter jet by many airlines around the world, the ERJ 145 has also morphed into the EMB 145 ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) aircraft, somewhat like a mini-AWACS plane in concept. Based on its achievements as a maker of commercial regional jets, Embraer also saw fit to expand into smaller executive jets during the first decade of the 21st Century, which included the Legacy and the popular Phenom private jets.

Some notable achievements by Embraer in more recent years include the first flight of the KC-390 military transport aircraft in 2015, the first flight of the E190-E2 regional jet in 2016, and the signing of an agreement with Uber in 2017 to explore the development of small electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) for use in brief trips within cities.

Since it began operations just 55 years ago, Embraer has grown to become the third largest manufacturer of commercial jets, with 18,000 employees worldwide and over 8,000 planes delivered to customers. The company has facilities located throughout the world in Brazil, the USA, Ireland, Portugal, the UK, the Netherlands, France, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and China, with Embraer factories located in Brazil, the U.S., and Portugal.