The Embraer R-99 is the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) military designation of the EMB-145-RS. Various models of aircraft have been produced to perform special mission duties, including the E99 for airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) missions, the R-99 for remote sensing, and the P-99 for maritime patrol.

Development of the R-99 began during the 1990s in response to an FAB requirement for an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform, as well as for the export market. The airframe is based on the ERJ 145 civil regional jet and modified with specialized mission equipment based on the mission role desired. It is typically powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce AE1 3007 turbofan engines; the military versions provide 20% more thrust than the civil version. The maiden flight of the R-99 took place in 1999; it entered operational service with the FAB two years later.

Export customers for the type include the Hellenic Air Force, the Mexican Air Force, and the Indian Air Force. Some customers have opted to buy the airframe and separately outfit it with their own electronics packages. It has been deployed in response to various events, including the Shining Path hostage crisis, the loss of Air France Flight 447, the 2011 military intervention in Libya, and the SIVAM program. During the 2010s, the FAB opted to modernize its R-99 fleet, not only extending its service life but also giving it new capabilities, such as a longer effective radar range and datalink facilities. Embraer has proposed new variants of the type, such as the armed P-99 anti-submarine warfare (ASW), which is capable of using both torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.

Variants

The R-99A/E-99/EMB 145 AEW&C is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, equipped with the Erieye active electronically scanned array radar from Saab Microwave Systems. During the aircraft’s development, particular attention was paid to market interest as well as the specific requirements of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The FAB has claimed that R-99 has 95% of the capability of larger AEW&C aircraft which are in service in the air forces of other nations. In 2008, the FAB redesignated the R-99A as the E-99, the factory name for the Embraer EMB-145SA (Surveillance Aircraft), a special military conversion of the passenger version of the Embraer ERJ-145LR.

The R-99B/R-99/EMB 145 MULTI INTEL is a remote-sensing aircraft. It employs a synthetic aperture radar, a combination of electro-optical and FLIR systems as well as a multi-spectral scanner. The aircraft also possesses signal intelligence and C3I capabilities. In 2008, the FAB redesignated the R-99B as the R-99, for the Embraer EMB-145RS (Remote Sensing), a special military conversion of the passenger version of the Embraer ERJ-145LR.

The EMB 145 MP is the maritime patrol version of the EMB-145. It shares much of the same sensor suite as the R-99B, but most visibly, lacks the multi-spectral scanner and the side-looking radar. It retains many of the C3I and ELINT capabilities of the EMB-145-RS. Mexico was the launch customer for this variant.

The P-99 would be the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) modification of the EMB 145 MP and would have four underwing hardpoints, which could be mounted with a variety of torpedoes and/or anti-ship missiles. No prototype with those modifications was ever flown.

In June 2019, it was announced that Embraer had partnered with the Israeli defense electronics company Elta Systems to develop the P600 AEW, which will be initially based on the Embraer Praetor 600 super-midsize business jet. In December 2020, an Embraer spokesperson stated that the P600 AEW system is likely to eventually replace the E-99 AEW; however, the Brazilian Air Force has currently committed itself to the modernization of its existing E-99 fleet, thus it is likely that the E-99M will be in service for a long time, while there were no orders placed for the P600.

Operational history

In September 2003, a Brazilian R-99 was deployed at the request of Peruvian authorities to locate the site where 71 hostages were being kept by the armed group Shining Path. The aircraft detected the origin of VHF signals and thus aided the Peruvian authorities in the recovery of the hostages.

On 1 June 2009, a R-99 was deployed on the search for the missing Air France Flight 447. The fact is reported as the first real mission of a Brazilian R-99 on maritime search. The R-99 synthetic-aperture radar allowed to locate — even at night and under bad weather conditions — aircraft debris and victims’ bodies 800 km away from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. Various pieces of debris from the lost Airbus A330-200, the largest being the empennage and a galley, were located by the R-99.

In early 2011, a Greek EMB-145-H was deployed to perform AEW missions as part of the 2011 military intervention in Libya, specifically in the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya, in response to the Libyan Civil War.

The Indian Air Force has procured an initial three aircraft, which have been outfitted in India with an AESA radar array developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment along with a datalink, identification friend or foe (IFF), radar warning receiver (RWR), and other systems. The first aircraft was delivered from Brazil on 16 August 2012 while the second followed in December 2012. The Air Force has the option to purchase another seven aircraft. Following a long “technology absorption” process, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has been selected as the Engineering and Life Support Agency (ELSA) for India’s DRDO’s (Defence Research and Development Organisation) EMB-145i AEW&C mission systems, while Embraer will be responsible for supporting the aircraft. The platform is in service with No. 200 Squadron IAF, based at Bathinda AFS.

In Brazilian service, the E-99 and R-99 are based in Anapolis AFB. Five E-99s and three R-99s are operated by the Brazilian Air Force as part of the SIVAM program. Starting in 2013, these E-99s have undergone a modernization program that involved the updating of all onboard electronics, including a new Erieye-ER (extended range) radar, the same used on GlobalEye Detection range increased from 450 km to 723 km in the E99M version. The range of targets that can be detected ranges from vessels and large aircraft to watercraft, rubber dinghies, and vehicles, as well as hovering helicopters. The first E-99M (“M” stands for modernized) was handed over to the Brazilian Air Force on 27 November 2020.

In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hellenic EMB-145H flew several daily combat missions, monitoring NATO allied airspace over Romania and Bulgaria while covering part of the Black Sea.

Operators

 Brazil

• Brazilian Air Force – 5 E-99s (undergoing modernization to E-99M, the first delivery of which is expected in the first half of 2020), 3 R-99s. On 27 November 2020, the FAB received the first modernized E-99 in a ceremony held at the Embraer facility in Gavião Peixoto (São Paulo, Brazil)

 Greece

• Hellenic Air Force – 4 EMB-145-H (HAF designation is “Erieye EMB-145H AEW&C”)

 Mexico

• Mexican Air Force – 1 EMB-145-SA (FAM designation EMB-145AEW&C), 2 EMB-145-MP

 India

• Indian Air Force – Platform Only – 3 EMB-145-I were fitted with an Indian-developed AESA radar array along with other apparatus.

Related development

• Embraer ERJ 145 family

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• DRDO AEW&CS
• Dassault Falcon 8X ARCHANGE
• Raytheon Sentinel
• Saab GlobalEye
• Gulfstream G550 CAEW Eitam

Specifications of the Embraer R-99:

General Specs

• Type: Twin-engine, turbofan-powered medium-range surveillance aircraft
• Manufacturer: Embraer
• Length: 34.94 m (114 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 27.00 m (88 ft 7 in)
• Height: 9.14 m (30 ft 0 in)
• Cabin width: 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
• Cabin height: 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)

Performance Specs

• Maximum speed: 591 km/h (308 mph)
• Cruise speed: 500 km/h (252 mph)
• Range: 4,630 km (2,877 mi)
• Service ceiling: 12,192 m (40,000 ft)

Engines

• Two Rolls-Royce AE 13007C1 turbofan engines
• Thrust: 31.1 kN (6,900 lbf) each

Crew

• 5: 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 2 mission system operators

Equipment

• Saab Erieye radar
• Electronic support measures (ESM)
• Infrared search and track (IRST)
• Communications intelligence (COMINT)
• Electronic warfare (EW) systems

Applications

• Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C)
• Surveillance
• Reconnaissance
• Electronic warfare

E-99/P-99/R-99
Role	Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) (E-99) Remote sensing (R-99) Maritime patrol (P-99)
National origin	Brazil
Manufacturer	Embraer
First flight	1999
Introduction	2001
Status	Active in service
Primary users	Brazilian Air Force (E-99M/R-99) Hellenic Air Force (R-99A) Mexican Air Force (R-99A/P-99) Indian Air Force
Produced	1999–present
Number built	6 (EMB-145-SA) 3 (EMB-145-RS) 2 (EMB-145-MP) 4 (EMB-145-H) 3 (EMB-145-I)
Developed from	Embraer ERJ-145

References