Institutional steps already taken\u00a0<\/p>\n
Masulis said the Latvian Air Force had received a tasking from the National Armed Forces Joint Staff to\u00a0identify\u00a0the most effective solutions, and that manufacturers had already been approached. Latvia is now awaiting financial and delivery estimates from industry, after which a detailed analysis and a\u00a0possible course\u00a0of action would be prepared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He described the acquisition of such\u00a0aircraft\u00a0as a real\u00a0option, while cautioning that any aviation solution requires substantial funding. The Latvian government has committed more than \u20ac1 billion to strengthening air defense, built on an\u00a0additional\u00a0\u20ac200 million a year between 2023 and 2027, and\u00a0Masulis\u00a0said air-based solutions could form one\u00a0component\u00a0of that wider system.\u00a0The envelope covers air defense procurement as a whole and has not been earmarked for aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Masulis, who is handing command to Colonel Edmunds Sven\u010ds, said he would encourage his successor to treat the type primarily as an airborne air-defense asset against slow-flying targets and drones, adding that the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0could also support Latvia\u2019s Land Forces.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Latvia does not\u00a0operate\u00a0armed fixed-wing\u00a0aircraft. Fighter cover over the three Baltic states is provided by allied detachments under NATO\u2019s Baltic Air Policing mission, which\u00a0shot down a drone over Latvian territory on June 8, 2026,<\/a>\u00a0after air threat warnings were issued in the country\u2019s eastern municipalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n An A-29 acquisition would therefore\u00a0establish\u00a0a national combat aviation capability from a standing start, with associated demands on pilot training, basing, weapons stocks and sustainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why Latvia sees a role for a turboprop drone hunter\u00a0<\/p>\n Interest in the A-29 reflects a wider argument that scrambling fast jets or\u00a0expending\u00a0surface-to-air missiles against cheap one-way attack drones is economically unsustainable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Embraer made that case when it announced a partnership with US firm Valkyrie Aero in March 2026 to integrate the company\u2019s Gunslinger artificial intelligence suite with the aircraft\u2019s sensors and weapons. The\u00a0system<\/a>\u00a0is intended to support the detection, tracking and engagement of unmanned threats using guns, guided\u00a0rockets\u00a0and other effectors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The manufacturer argues that the A-29\u2019s endurance and ability to match the speed of one-way attack drones make it well suited to the mission, although the configuration has not been\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0operationally against Shahed or Geran-type drones.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0aircraft\u00a0offers patrol endurance exceeding six hours, electro-optical and infrared sensors, built-in .50-caliber machine guns, compatibility with precision-guided munitions and air-to-air weapons, and the ability to\u00a0operate\u00a0from short or unprepared runways.\u00a0<\/p>\n Embraer launched the NATO-configured A-29N in 2023 with avionics and communications tailored to alliance standards. Portugal ordered 12\u00a0aircraft\u00a0for \u20ac200 million in December 2024 and became its first operator when\u00a0five were handed over<\/a>\u00a0a year later. Poland has also examined the type, with a delegation led by Major General Ireneusz Nowak visiting Embraer\u2019s Brazilian facilities in January 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Regional exposure\u00a0<\/p>\n Latvia has repeatedly faced drone incursions linked to the war in Ukraine. Two drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia overnight on May 7, 2026, and crashed in the eastern Latgale region, one of them striking an oil storage facility in\u00a0R\u0113zekne. The response\u00a0cost Latvian defense minister Andris Spr\u016bds his post<\/a>\u00a0and triggered a coalition crisis in Riga.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A further object\u00a0entered from Russia and crashed near Kr\u0101slava in March 2026<\/a>, while Latvia and Lithuania\u00a0issued simultaneous air danger alerts on May 20, 2026<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Latvian officials have\u00a0generally attributed\u00a0such incidents to drones straying off course or being affected by electronic warfare rather than to deliberate attack.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Luft_01_GBAD_System-e1684765616985-80x80.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Gerbera](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Gerbera-drone-debris-found-in-Ventspils-Latvia-1200x800.jpg\" "\\"Gerbera")
Gerbera drone debris found in Ventspils Latvia in September 2025 (Credit: Latvian National Armed Forces)<\/p>\n