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Portugal Makes Another Attempt To Develop an Aircraft on Its Own
> LUS-222 FIRST FLIGHT IS TARGETED FOR LATE 2027 OR EARLY 2028
> BRAZIL’S AKAER WILL SUPPLY AEROSTRUCTURES
Зortugal’s first indigenous aircraft is beginning to take shape, and H the country’s air force has assumed a key role in defining its capabilities and helping bring it to market.
The LUS-222, a twin-turboprop light regional aircraft, is set to enter a packed market. Its competition includes Cessna’s 408 SkyCourier, Indonesian Aero-space’s N-219, De Havilland Canada’s DHC-6 Twin Otter and China’s Harbin Y-12. Despite this, the Portuguese companies involved are confident that the LUS-222 can make an impact in both regional and military aircraft markets.
Targeting a first flight in late 2027 or early 2028, the high-wing, fixed-landing gear LUS-222 has gone through preliminary design review, and its manufacturer, EEA Aircraft and Maintenance, has begun selecting suppliers. Brazil’s Akaer is slated to produce aerostructures, including the complete wing, horizontal and vertical stabilizers and all control surfaces, while Pratt & Whitney Canada is to supply PT6 turboprop engines. Several other sup-pliers remain to be announced; at least three are shortlisted to provide the avionics suite.
EEA is seeking European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 23 standards for commuter aircraft. The manufacturer is designing the LUS-222 to carry 19 passengers or a 2.5-metric-ton (5,500-lb.) payload and fly distances of up to 2,000 km (1,200 mi.).
The airframer is taking lessons from Embraer’s C-390 development program, EEA Chairman Miguel Braga told Aviation Week at the Paris Air Show. EEA was formed out of aerospace engineering services company CEiiA, where Braga had served as head of aeronautics and defense. Other organizations in the project include Aero. Next Portugal, an innova-tion partnership between Portuguese aerospace companies. The LUS-222 is one of Aero. Next Portugal’s work packages established to strengthen the country’s industrial capabilities. “The C-390 is a success in the market because it has been defined by pi-lots and developed by engineers, so we are trying to do the same,” Braga said.
The Portuguese Air Force joined the project in November as a co-developer, co-promoter and potential end user, Braga said. The service also plans to lead in flight-testing the aircraft, using its experience from developing the NATO variant of the C-390.
Braga noted that the service has a need for smaller transport aircraft, since it retired its CASA (now Airbus) C-212 light turboprops in 2011 and re-placed them with the larger Airbus C-295s. The Portuguese Air Force flies many missions with larger, more ex-pensive aircraft than necessary, he said, and other air forces in Europe and Latin America face similar issues.
These will be the key markets ad-dressed by the LUS-222, he said, and with EASA certification, its only true competitor in those markets will be the Cessna SkyCourier, as the Indonesian N-219 and Chinese Y-12 are un-likely to secure EASA or FAA certification. The main difference between the LUS-222 and the SkyCourier, and likely a crucial LUS-222 selling point — will be the Portuguese aircraft’s rear cargo ramp, which will appeal particularly to military customers, Braga said. The SkyCourier has a large cargo door on its port side behind the wing.
Incorporating the rear cargo ramp was challenging, Braga said, because it required a significant change in de-sign that would nonetheless meet the basic parameters of range and pay-load performance.
“We took a step back to take the aircraft two steps forward. . . . Today we can offer the same range and same cargo load of the SkyCourier, but with the ramp,” he explained.
EEA plans to produce the LUS-222 on an assembly line in Ponte de Sor in central Portugal, initially aiming to build 20 aircraft per year.
In addition to developing an aircraft, the program is introducing an entirely new Portuguese industrial capability.
“We are planning to join the list of air-craft manufacturing nations,” Braga said. “This is a big step for the country, building the competencies that those countries have.”
That process has not been easy. Portuguese industry has sought engineers from across the globe, including many from Brazil, which has helped “accelerate the process and at the same time transfer competencies and knowledge,” Braga said.
The LUS-222 is the country’s second attempt to produce a homegrown aircraft. Portuguese industry previously teamed with Brazil’s Desaer to develop the twin-turboprop ATL-100 airlifter, but the partnership ended in 2021, leading to work on a clean-sheet design that became the LUS-222 (AW&ST Jan. 25-Feb. 7, 2021, p. 22). Desaer is now pursuing development of the ATL-100 on its own
> LUS-222 FIRST FLIGHT IS TARGETED FOR LATE 2027 OR EARLY 2028
> BRAZIL’S AKAER WILL SUPPLY AEROSTRUCTURES
Зortugal’s first indigenous aircraft is beginning to take shape, and H the country’s air force has assumed a key role in defining its capabilities and helping bring it to market.
The LUS-222, a twin-turboprop light regional aircraft, is set to enter a packed market. Its competition includes Cessna’s 408 SkyCourier, Indonesian Aero-space’s N-219, De Havilland Canada’s DHC-6 Twin Otter and China’s Harbin Y-12. Despite this, the Portuguese companies involved are confident that the LUS-222 can make an impact in both regional and military aircraft markets.
Targeting a first flight in late 2027 or early 2028, the high-wing, fixed-landing gear LUS-222 has gone through preliminary design review, and its manufacturer, EEA Aircraft and Maintenance, has begun selecting suppliers. Brazil’s Akaer is slated to produce aerostructures, including the complete wing, horizontal and vertical stabilizers and all control surfaces, while Pratt & Whitney Canada is to supply PT6 turboprop engines. Several other sup-pliers remain to be announced; at least three are shortlisted to provide the avionics suite.
EEA is seeking European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 23 standards for commuter aircraft. The manufacturer is designing the LUS-222 to carry 19 passengers or a 2.5-metric-ton (5,500-lb.) payload and fly distances of up to 2,000 km (1,200 mi.).
The airframer is taking lessons from Embraer’s C-390 development program, EEA Chairman Miguel Braga told Aviation Week at the Paris Air Show. EEA was formed out of aerospace engineering services company CEiiA, where Braga had served as head of aeronautics and defense. Other organizations in the project include Aero. Next Portugal, an innova-tion partnership between Portuguese aerospace companies. The LUS-222 is one of Aero. Next Portugal’s work packages established to strengthen the country’s industrial capabilities. “The C-390 is a success in the market because it has been defined by pi-lots and developed by engineers, so we are trying to do the same,” Braga said.
The Portuguese Air Force joined the project in November as a co-developer, co-promoter and potential end user, Braga said. The service also plans to lead in flight-testing the aircraft, using its experience from developing the NATO variant of the C-390.
Braga noted that the service has a need for smaller transport aircraft, since it retired its CASA (now Airbus) C-212 light turboprops in 2011 and re-placed them with the larger Airbus C-295s. The Portuguese Air Force flies many missions with larger, more ex-pensive aircraft than necessary, he said, and other air forces in Europe and Latin America face similar issues.
These will be the key markets ad-dressed by the LUS-222, he said, and with EASA certification, its only true competitor in those markets will be the Cessna SkyCourier, as the Indonesian N-219 and Chinese Y-12 are un-likely to secure EASA or FAA certification. The main difference between the LUS-222 and the SkyCourier, and likely a crucial LUS-222 selling point — will be the Portuguese aircraft’s rear cargo ramp, which will appeal particularly to military customers, Braga said. The SkyCourier has a large cargo door on its port side behind the wing.
Incorporating the rear cargo ramp was challenging, Braga said, because it required a significant change in de-sign that would nonetheless meet the basic parameters of range and pay-load performance.
“We took a step back to take the aircraft two steps forward. . . . Today we can offer the same range and same cargo load of the SkyCourier, but with the ramp,” he explained.
EEA plans to produce the LUS-222 on an assembly line in Ponte de Sor in central Portugal, initially aiming to build 20 aircraft per year.
In addition to developing an aircraft, the program is introducing an entirely new Portuguese industrial capability.
“We are planning to join the list of air-craft manufacturing nations,” Braga said. “This is a big step for the country, building the competencies that those countries have.”
That process has not been easy. Portuguese industry has sought engineers from across the globe, including many from Brazil, which has helped “accelerate the process and at the same time transfer competencies and knowledge,” Braga said.
The LUS-222 is the country’s second attempt to produce a homegrown aircraft. Portuguese industry previously teamed with Brazil’s Desaer to develop the twin-turboprop ATL-100 airlifter, but the partnership ended in 2021, leading to work on a clean-sheet design that became the LUS-222 (AW&ST Jan. 25-Feb. 7, 2021, p. 22). Desaer is now pursuing development of the ATL-100 on its own