Lisbon, Sept. 16, 2025 (Lisboa) - The construction of the first civil-military aeroplane designed in Portugal will receive public funding to the tune of €100 million, the minister for the economy announced in parliament on Tuesday.

"We are going to finance the design, construction and certification of a Portuguese aeroplane, a regional aeroplane, for civil and military use," said Minister for the Economy and Territorial Cohesion Manuel Castro Almeida, during a hearing in the Committee on the Economy and Territorial Cohesion.

The amount of public funding will be “just over €100 million”, he said.

The aircraft in question will have capacity for 19 seats and "a flight range of 2,000 kilometres", he added.

Manuel Castro Almeida was referring to the already known LUS-222 project, a twin-engine high-wing aircraft with a rear cargo door, designed by the Centre for Engineering and Industrial Automation (CEiiA), the Portuguese Air Force, and the company Geosat.

The project involves an investment of €220 million, which includes the construction of a factory in Ponte de Sor, capable of producing 12 aircraft a year in one shift and 20 aircraft a year in two shifts, according to information released in April, when representatives of the project presented the initiative at the LAAD Defence & Security fair, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The project's authors expect the aircraft to be able to carry 19 passengers or up to two tonnes of cargo. They can be used for military missions, search and rescue missions and regional commercial aviation.

The aircraft will have a range of up to 2,100 kilometres and can reach speeds of up to 370 kilometres per hour.

The first flight of the aircraft is scheduled for 2028, as announced in April.

PCT/ADB // ADB.

Lusa