A Nigerian A-29 Super Tucano is pictured here. Embraer Defence CEO Bosco da Costa sees potential for up to 450 Super Tucanos over 20 years, including from Africa. (US Africa Command Public Affairs)

Embraer Defence & Security sees a market for up to 490 A-29 Super Tucano trainer and attack aircraft over the next two decades, Embraer president and CEO Bosco da Costa Jr told Janes on 10 April at the FIDAE 2024 airshow in Santiago, Chile.

“We are in touch with several countries around the world, not only here in South America, but we have some potential [customers] in Africa, in Asia, and in Europe as well,” said da Costa. “We are in advanced conversations with countries in Europe [and] in advanced conversations with countries in Asia. I cannot disclose the countries because the defence procurement process does not allow us to do that. But I assure you that we are now in a final stage in some of them.”

Saab has been contracted to upgrade the army's live training capability. Pictured are troops practising their debussing drills from a Saab DFWES-equipped Warrior infantry combat vehicle in Alberta. (Janes)

The British Army has signed a GBP60 million (USD75.7 million) three-year support contract with Saab to improve its live training capability.

The contract – Instrumented Live Training (ILT-D) – is replacing the existing Direct Fire Weapon Effects Simulator (DFWES) contract with Saab and will involve modernising its live training capabilities to improve interoperability and address obsolescence.

ILT-D is essentially a mid-life upgrade of the DFWES capability that will comprise upgrading and providing the latest soldier and vehicle training systems as well as EXCON software to ensure it remains relevant to the army's evolving training needs and is interoperable with its allies, Joakim Alhbin, the vice-president of Training and Simulation at Saab, informed Janes and other media representatives at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024.

DFWES is a laser-based Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) capability that simulates direct and indirect fire.

CESI is joining Leonardo's Team Aurelian to bid for the British Army's CTTP programme. Pictured are chief technology officer for CESI Stu Armstrong (left) and CTTP campaign director at Leonardo UK John Wells. (Leonardo UK)

US-company Cole Engineering Services Inc (CESI) is joining Leonardo's Team Aurelian for the upcoming British Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) contract.

Announced by Leonardo at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024 held from 9 to 11 April in London, the new partner will offer its expertise in synthetic training, having provided the US Army's Synthetic Training Environment (STE) software and the immersive Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer.

STE brings together live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) training environments into a single, blended-training platform, Leonardo detailed in a press release.

US-company Valiant, which specialises in training, simulation, and readiness, is also part of Team Aurelian, having joined in September 2023. The company has experience in delivering training to US forces and has played a major role in supporting training and exercises at the US Army's Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson and other facilities.