Two C-390 Millennium aircraft for type’s tenth customer
December 27, 2024
Sales of the Embraer C-390 Millennium are booming this year, with the latest announcement – the sale of two units to an undisclosed nation – further solidifying a sweeping success in 2024 for the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s multi-mission aircraft.
Embraer notes that the aircraft will be “specifically configured to meet customers’ requirements, which include tactical transport of troops and vehicles, humanitarian aid, disaster management and medical evacuation”. With the type able to carry more payload faster and father than other medium-sized military transport aircraft (as well has having proved its suitability for a wide range of missions), “this aircraft is redefining the concepts of military transport aviation,” said president and CEO of Embraer Defense and Security Bosco da Costa Jr.
Operators to have so far embraced the type’s “unbeatable combination of state-of-the-art technology, reliability, and low operational costs” include seven European nations, South Korea and Brazil; the latter becoming the type’s inaugural operator in 2019. The current worldwide fleet has accumulated more than 15,500 flight hours, with a mission capability rate of 93% and mission completion rates above 99%.
The Slovak Ministry of Defence became the latest (disclosed) customer to order the C-390 earlier this month, indicating it intended to formalise the procurement process of three aircraft (due for delivery within five years) early next year. At the time, Bosco da Costa Jr. noted that the aircraft is “quickly becoming the aircraft of choice among EU / NATO members and its allies in Europe”.
Portugal first ordered first KC-390 units (the air-to-air-refuelling capable designation of the platform) in 2019, the first of which entered service in 2023. Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, and the Czech Republic have also selected the C-390, while NATO newcomer Sweden also became the first country in Northern Europe to opt for the aircraft last month.
Stressing the synergy offered among NATO members, Embraer explained Sweden’s C-390 acquisition will “not only bolster national defence, but also enhance interoperability with allied forces while benefitting from the synergies present in Europe in terms of training facilities, support and logistics”.
