Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante


The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a Brazilian general purpose 15–21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft designed by Embraer for military and civil use.

Design and development

The EMB 110 was designed by the French engineer Max Holste, under the supervision of Ozires Silva, following the specifications of the IPD-6504 program set by the Brazilian Ministry of Aeronautics in 1965. The goal was to create a general purpose aircraft, suitable for both civilian and military roles with a low operational cost and high reliability.
The first prototype, with the military designation YC-95, was flown on 26 October 1968. and two other prototypes were built, known as EMB 100. By 1969 an order was placed for 80 production aircraft, by now known as EMB 110 Bandeirante, for the Brazilian Air Force with the newly formed aircraft company Embraer. The Bandeirante received its Brazilian airworthiness certificate at the end of 1972. and on 9 February 1973 was made the first delivery to FAB.
Further development of the EMB 110 was halted by the manufacturer in order to shift focus to the larger, faster, and pressurized 30-seat EMB 120 Brasilia.
On Dec 15, 2010, the Brazilian Air Force first flew an upgraded EMB 110 equipped with modern avionics equipment. Designated as the C/P-95, the aircraft has had several new systems installed by Israeli firm Elbit Systems' Brazilian subsidiary, Aeroeletronica. The Brazilian Air Force has an active fleet of 96 EMB-110s.

Operational history

Deliveries started to the Brazilian Air Force in February 1973. The passenger model first flew on 9 August 1972 and entered commercial service on 16 April 1973 with the now defunct Brazilian airline company Transbrasil.
Over the next 21 years Embraer built 494 aircraft in numerous configurations for a variety of roles. Production was halted in 1990, as the EMB 110 had been superseded by the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia.

Variants

In October 2018, 50 years after its first flight and 498 deliveries, about 150 were still operating at airlines, air taxis, government entities, and air forces around the world.
In 2017, the Brazilian Air Force was operating 48 EMB-110.
In 2016, 38 Bandeirantes were still in Airline service with 14 operators, 30 in North/South America and 8 in Asia Pacific & Middle East :

Incidents and accidents