# Embraer EMB 312 Tucano
The **Embraer EMB 312 Tucano** is a Brazilian turboprop military trainer, designed in 1978 to prepare pilots for jet aircraft at turboprop operating costs, that entered service with the [Brazilian Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/brazilian-air-force) (FAB) in September 1983 as the T-27 and was exported to numerous countries.[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/) • [2](https://www2.fab.mil.br/afa/index.php/aeronaves/345-t-27-emb-312-tucano-fab-1303) It was the first turboprop trainer developed from the beginning as a lead-in aircraft for transition to jets.[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First flight / service entry | Prototype first flew 16 August 1980; FAB deliveries began September 1983 as T-27 (trainer) and AT-27 (armed)[3](https://www2.fab.mil.br/eda/index.php/2015-04-24-14-30-17?id=148) |
| Powerplant | One 559 kW (750 shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop, Hartzell three-blade constant-speed propeller[4](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html) |
| Cockpit | Tandem instructor and pupil on Martin-Baker BR8LC ejection seats, rear seat elevated, dual controls standard[4](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html) |
| Internal fuel | 694 liters (183.3 US gallons)[4](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html) |
| Production | 637 built per the FAB; other counts give 475 EMB-312s plus 160 Short Tucanos, or 635 total[2](https://www2.fab.mil.br/afa/index.php/aeronaves/345-t-27-emb-312-tucano-fab-1303) • [5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano) • [1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/) |
| RAF variant | Short Tucano T.1: only 25% commonality with the EMB-312, Garrett TPE331-12B engine, 131 built[6](https://janes.migavia.com/gbr/shorts/s312.html) • [7](https://web.archive.org/web/20120828184442/http:/www.airvectors.net/avtucano.html) |
## Design and development
The Tucano originated in a Brazilian Air Force requirement to replace its [Cessna T-37](https://www.edgepedia.org/cessna-t-37-tweet) jet trainers.[3](https://www2.fab.mil.br/eda/index.php/2015-04-24-14-30-17?id=148) Embraer's leading engineer Guido Pessotti led the design in 1978 after a detailed service request.[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/) The choice to build a turboprop was vindicated in 1979, when the price of oil jumped from US$12 per barrel to roughly US$40.[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano)
On 6 December 1978 Embraer signed a contract with the FAB to develop four EMB-312 prototypes. The first, designated YT-27 and registered FAB 1300, took only 180 days to build and first flew on 16 August 1980.[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano) In September 1983 the first units were delivered to the FAB, with the designation T-27 for training and AT-27 for the armed version.[3](https://www2.fab.mil.br/eda/index.php/2015-04-24-14-30-17?id=148) A 1985 SAE technical paper describes the design goal as preparing pilots for sophisticated jet aircraft at turbopropeller costs, with jet-like features, aerobatic maneuverability, tandem seating ergonomics, and all-round visibility from both pilot stations as its selling points.[8](https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/emb-312-tucano-a-brazilian-trainer-851769)
## Design and specifications
The EMB-312 is powered by one 559 kW (750 shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop driving a Hartzell HC-B3TN-3C three-blade constant-speed, fully feathering, reversible-pitch propeller.[4](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html) Instructor and pupil sit in tandem on Martin-Baker BR8LC lightweight ejection seats in an air-conditioned cockpit with a one-piece canopy opening sideways to starboard; the rear seat is elevated and dual controls are standard.[4](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html)
Two integral tanks in each wing hold 694 liters (183.3 US gallons) of fuel.[4](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html) To keep the price under US$1 million per aircraft, Embraer used off-the-shelf items such as the landing gear of the [Piper Navajo](https://www.edgepedia.org/piper-pa-31-navajo).[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/)
## Variants
**T-27 and AT-27.** The Brazilian designations for the trainer and armed versions respectively.[3](https://www2.fab.mil.br/eda/index.php/2015-04-24-14-30-17?id=148)
**EMB-312F.** The French variant increased fatigue life from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours, extended load factor limits to +7/-3.5 g, and replaced the avionics with French items.[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano)
**Short Tucano T.1.** The resulting Shorts S.312 Tucano is based on the EMB-312 but has only 25 percent commonality with it, with about 900 modifications to the basic airframe.[6](https://janes.migavia.com/gbr/shorts/s312.html) • [9](https://www.key.aero/article/farewell-tucano) The Garrett TPE331-12B turboprop of 820 kW (1,100 shp), with an additional 38 kW derived from the exhaust, drives a four-blade Hartzell propeller and offers higher speed, particularly at low level, and an increased rate of climb.[6](https://janes.migavia.com/gbr/shorts/s312.html) Other changes include a ventral airbrake and structural strengthening for increased maneuver loads and a 12,000-hour fatigue life.[6](https://janes.migavia.com/gbr/shorts/s312.html) Initial RAF delivery was on 16 June 1988, and 131 Tucano T.1s were delivered up to early 1993.[7](https://web.archive.org/web/20120828184442/http:/www.airvectors.net/avtucano.html)
**EMB-314 Super Tucano.** The definitive development flew in its final configuration on 2 June 1999 with a PT6A-68/3 engine of 1,195 kW (1,600 shp) driving a five-bladed propeller and stores load up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb).[7](https://web.archive.org/web/20120828184442/http:/www.airvectors.net/avtucano.html)
## Operational history
**Peru.** From 1995 to 2001 Peru claimed 40 shootdowns in total, half attributed to the EMB-312; 14 aircraft were shot down by Tucanos and A-37s under US airborne early warning coordination; coca cultivation fell from 115,300 hectares in 1995 to 34,200 hectares in 2000.[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano) • [10](https://theaviationgeekclub.com/that-time-a-peruvian-air-force-a-37-mistakenly-shot-down-a-cessna-185-missionary-plane/) Peru withdrew the type in late 2017.[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano)
Honduras was the first foreign operator, acquiring 12 aircraft, which opened the door to further Latin American orders.[11](https://www.laahs.com/emb-312-tucano-brazils-turboprop-success-story/) By 1991 over 350 had been delivered out of 376 firmly ordered with 86 more on option; customers included Brazil (128), Honduras (12), Egypt (54), Iraq (80), Venezuela (31), Peru (20), Argentina (30), Paraguay (6), and Iran (15).[12](https://www.aviastar.org/air/brazil/embraer_tucano.php)
## By the numbers
Production totals differ by source: the FAB states 637 examples produced;[2](https://www2.fab.mil.br/afa/index.php/aeronaves/345-t-27-emb-312-tucano-fab-1303) Key.Aero gives 475 EMB-312s plus 160 Short Tucanos;[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano) and Latinaero gives over 660 built between 1980 and 1996, 504 by Embraer and 160 by [Short Brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/short-brothers).[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/)
Safety records were strong where documented. Colombia completed nearly 90,000 flight hours on the type without a single loss.[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/) The RAF lost only five airframes in 31 years of Tucano T.1 service, with no fatalities.[9](https://www.key.aero/article/farewell-tucano)
## How it compares with its rivals
The RAF's AST-412 contest sought a high-performance turboprop to replace the Hunting/[BAC Jet Provost](https://www.edgepedia.org/bac-jet-provost). Based on expected performance and the Tucano's substantially cheaper price than the PC-9, the Embraer/Shorts team was declared the winner of AST-412 in March 1985.[9](https://www.key.aero/article/farewell-tucano) The RAF retired the Tucano in late 2019, when only one squadron remained at Linton-on-Ouse, replacing it with the Beechcraft Texan II at [RAF Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-valley).[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano) • [9](https://www.key.aero/article/farewell-tucano)
Against its own successor, the step from EMB-312 to EMB-314 is large: engine power roughly doubles from 750 shp to 1,600 shp, and stores capacity rises to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb).[5](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano) • [7](https://web.archive.org/web/20120828184442/http:/www.airvectors.net/avtucano.html)
## Recent developments
One fleet-status count puts about 134 EMB-312s in service with 10 militaries as of 2026, the largest fleet being Brazil's with 31.[13](https://www.militarydex.com/equipment/aircraft/embraer-emb-312-tucano) The FAB began modernizing its T-27 fleet in 2019: the first T-27M flew on 23 October 2020, the first four were delivered to the Air Force Academy in December 2021, and the modernization replaced analog dials with color multifunction displays.[14](https://www.aeroflap.com.br/ha-40-anos-eram-entregues-os-primeiros-t-27-tucano-para-a-fab/) A Brazilian Aeronautics Command study considered withdrawing T-27Ms from the Academy and repositioning them in Natal with 2º/5º GAV for initial fighter pilot training; the Tucano has not been used by the FAB as a "fighter" since mid-2008, when the A-29 replaced the AT-27 at 3º/3º GAV.[15](https://forcaaerea.com.br/embraer-t-27m-em-natal-e-no-eda/)
Honduras restored and modernized T-27s that had been stored, replacing analog instruments with a Garmin package (G600TXi, GTN650, GM345, GI275) and repainting from camouflage to gray; the first airframe, FAH 257, had been out of service for about 13 years and took roughly eight months of depot-level work by Partex Aviation Services with Tailwind Parts.[16](https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/industry/honduras-modernizes-its-t-27-tucano-tests-super-tucano) • [17](https://forcaaerea.com.br/honduras-restaura-e-moderniza-embraer-t-27-tucano-parado-ha-mais-de-uma-decada/) Colombia's earlier modernization zero-houred and fully modernized eleven Tucanos, with ten passed to CACOM 2's Grupo de Combate 21 in Apiay.[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/) As fleet renewal, Uruguay ordered up to six A-29 Super Tucanos from Embraer on 26 August 2024, with deliveries from 2025.[18](https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/embraer-sells-29-super-tucano-uruguayan-air-force-2024-08-26)
## Legacy
The Tucano was the first turboprop trainer developed from the start as a lead-in aircraft for transition to jets, a formula since become standard.[1](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/) Its export success, from Honduras onward across Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, established Embraer as a defense exporter,[11](https://www.laahs.com/emb-312-tucano-brazils-turboprop-success-story/) • [2](https://www2.fab.mil.br/afa/index.php/aeronaves/345-t-27-emb-312-tucano-fab-1303) and the A-29 Super Tucano lineage it spawned continues to win orders, as the 2024 Uruguayan sale shows.[18](https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/embraer-sells-29-super-tucano-uruguayan-air-force-2024-08-26)
## References
1. [Improving the breed: Embraer EMB-312 Tucano in Colombian fashion, Latinaero](https://latinaero.com/index.php/2017/10/01/improving-the-breed-embraer-emb-312-tucano-in-colombian-fashion/)
2. [T-27 Tucano FAB 1303, AFA, Força Aérea Brasileira](https://www2.fab.mil.br/afa/index.php/aeronaves/345-t-27-emb-312-tucano-fab-1303)
3. [EMB-312 | T-27 Tucano, EDA, Força Aérea Brasileira](https://www2.fab.mil.br/eda/index.php/2015-04-24-14-30-17?id=148)
4. [Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, Jane's](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/emb-312.html)
5. [The Birds from Brazil: 40 Years of the Tucano, Key.Aero](https://www.key.aero/article/birds-brazil-40-years-tucano)
6. [Shorts S.312 Tucano, Jane's](https://janes.migavia.com/gbr/shorts/s312.html)
7. [The Embraer Tucano & Super Tucano, Air Vectors (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20120828184442/http:/www.airvectors.net/avtucano.html)
8. [The EMB-312 Tucano: A Brazilian Trainer, SAE Technical Paper 851769](https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/emb-312-tucano-a-brazilian-trainer-851769)
9. [Farewell to the Tucano, Key.Aero](https://www.key.aero/article/farewell-tucano)
10. [That time a Peruvian Air Force A-37 mistakenly shot down a Cessna 185, The Aviation Geek Club](https://theaviationgeekclub.com/that-time-a-peruvian-air-force-a-37-mistakenly-shot-down-a-cessna-185-missionary-plane/)
11. [EMB-312 Tucano: Brazil's Turboprop Success Story, LAAHS](https://www.laahs.com/emb-312-tucano-brazils-turboprop-success-story/)
12. [Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, Aviastar](https://www.aviastar.org/air/brazil/embraer_tucano.php)
13. [Embraer EMB 312 Tucano: Specs, Operators & Number in Service, MilitaryDex](https://www.militarydex.com/equipment/aircraft/embraer-emb-312-tucano)
14. [Há 40 anos eram entregues os primeiros T-27 Tucano para a FAB, Aeroflap](https://www.aeroflap.com.br/ha-40-anos-eram-entregues-os-primeiros-t-27-tucano-para-a-fab/)
15. [Embraer T-27M em Natal e no EDA?, Força Aérea](https://forcaaerea.com.br/embraer-t-27m-em-natal-e-no-eda/)
16. [Honduras modernizes its T-27 Tucano, tests Super Tucano, Janes](https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/industry/honduras-modernizes-its-t-27-tucano-tests-super-tucano)
17. [Honduras restaura e moderniza Embraer T-27 Tucano, Força Aérea](https://forcaaerea.com.br/honduras-restaura-e-moderniza-embraer-t-27-tucano-parado-ha-mais-de-uma-decada/)
18. [Embraer sells A-29 Super Tucano to the Uruguayan Air Force, press release via Nasdaq](https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/embraer-sells-29-super-tucano-uruguayan-air-force-2024-08-26)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Military aviation › Military aircraft by type and era › Trainers, prototypes, and experimental military aircraft › Propeller-driven military trainers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license