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OPTIMAL TRANSPORT

Embraer Defence & Security’s C-390 Millennium is flying high with orders

from seven countries and growing interest from other potential customers

By ATUL CHANDRA
E mbraer’s foray into large a wide range of missions such as Portuguese Air Force is another

military aircraft is now
transporting and dropping cargo
important step in the process of
paying dividends with its
search and rescue, firefighting, and
is increasing its market recog-
C-390 Millennium new generation and troops, medical evacuation, internationalizing our aircraft, which
multi-mission transport aircraft humanitarian missions, operating nition particularly among NATO
having received orders from air on temporary or unpaved runways nations. The Portuguese Air Force
forces in seven countries. Air forces such as packed earth, soil, and is a long-term partner of Embraer
in Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, the gravel. and has supported us strategically
Netherlands, Austria, the Czech since the beginning of the program.
Republic have ordered the aircraft. We will continue to work together
South Korea, the most recent cus- The C-390 Millennium entered into to advance our partnership in the
tomer for the type, gives Embraer service with the Brazilian Air Force coming years,” said Bosco da
Defence & Security a foothold in the (FAB) in 2019, which now operates Costa Junior, President and CEO of
Asian market. Embraer’s military four aircraft that are fully opera- Embraer’s Defence & Security. FAP
transport is available in two config- tional. The newest aircraft was KC-390s include standard North
urations, while the product name delivered in December 2020. The Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
is C-390 Millennium, it receives FAB has been using the aircraft to equipment already integrated into
the designation KC-390 when complete international and domestic the aircraft.
customers opt for the aircraft in humanitarian and cargo missions.
multi-mission air mobility and air-to- The Portuguese Armed Forces
air refueling (AAR) configuration. (FAP) ordered five KC-390s in 2019 Now operational with two air forces,
and October 2020, with its first Embraer states that the current fleet
The C-390 can carry 26 tons of aircraft entering into service at Beja of aircraft in operation have accu-
payload as compared to other Air Base in October 2023. Embraer mulated over 13,000 flight hours,
medium-sized military transport delivered the FAP’s second KC-390 with approximately 80% operational
aircraft and fly at speeds of 870 in June this year. “The second availability and mission completion
kmph. It is capable of performing KC-390 Millennium delivery to the rates above 99%.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY MAY - JULY 2024 | 15