DUBAI—A proposed hybrid-electric 19-seat military transport and a future unmanned aircraft system under study by the Brazilian government and Embraer are both seeking out strategic partners, a senior company executive has told ShowNews.

An ongoing research and definition phase for the Short Take-Off Utility Transport (STOUT) has already indicated a feasible business case for moving forward with the two-year-old project.

“We believe there is a good market for this aircraft,” Jackson Schneider, chief executive officer of Embraer Defense and Security, says in emailed responses to questions posed at the Dubai Airshow.

But the future of the project may require investors and technological contributors from outside Brazil.

“Embraer is looking for strategic partnerships with other companies or even other countries,” Schneider says.

The ongoing research effort has studied the design, materials, propulsion systems and other details, Schneider says, but it is likely to continue.

The research and definition phase “sometimes takes longer than expected,” Schneider adds.

The program is seeking to field an aircraft to carry up to 30 troops or 3 tons of cargo. If pursued into production, the STOUT aircraft likely would replace the Brazilian Air Force’s aging fleet of C-95 Bandeirante and C-97 Brasilia transports.

Embraer and the Brazilian military also are assessing a future UAS. Last December, Embraer predicted that more information about the project could be released within 10 months, but little has been heard of the program since. 

“As another initiatives, we are looking for international partnerships to add value to this potential project,” Schneider says.