KC 390
PR: Embraer announced today that the Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana (FAC) has signed a contract for the acquisition of two KC-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft, marking a significant milestone in the modernization of Colombia’s airlift and aerial refueling capabilities. The contract also includes mission equipment, an integrated services and support package, and a comprehensive offset program designed to meet Colombia’s regulatory requirements.
The FAC’s KC-390 Millennium fleet will be capable of performing a wide range of missions, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, cargo and troop transport, airdrop operations, and air-to-air refueling. The aircraft will also feature full connectivity to operate seamlessly alongside Colombia’s recently acquired Gripen fighters, enhancing the nation’s operational readiness and interoperability.
“We are honored by the FAC’s decision to select the KC-390 Millennium. This choice reinforces a partnership that spans more than 35 years, dating back to the FAC’s acquisition of its first Embraer aircraft, an EMB-312 Tucano followed by the A-29 Super Tucano. The KC-390 will significantly expand and strengthen Colombia’s airlift and aerial refueling capabilities, setting a new standard for operational excellence,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.
The KC-390 Millennium, built and designed in the 21st century, is the most modern military transport aircraft in its class. It can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military transport aircraft, flying faster (470 knots) and farther. It can perform a wide range of missions, including cargo and troop transport, equipment and personnel airdrops, medical evacuation, search and rescue (SAR), firefighting, and humanitarian missions, operating from temporary or unpaved runways. The aircraft, when configured with quick-installation air-to-air refueling equipment (AAR), can operate both as a tanker and as a receiver.
In addition to the Brazilian Air Force, this next-generation multi-mission aircraft has been selected by the air forces of Portugal, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, and Lithuania. The KC-390 Millennium delivers unmatched capability, reliability, versatility, and performance to meet the tactical and strategic needs of air forces worldwide with seamless interoperability.
Notes:
- The KC-390 continues its steady pace of winning new customers. Colombia appears to be closely following the Brazilian model when it comes to military selections. This is a win for both as critical mass brings its own advantages.
- This segment used to be the playground of the C-130J, but it’s clear change is in the air. If one looks at the which customers have moved from the C-130 to the KC-390, market power is swinging from Lockheed Martin to Embraer.
- This is a military story, but there are downstream commercial impacts. As Embraer’s former financial pressures from the C-390’s development cost are recovered and the program becomes profitable, the parent company has resources for other programs.
- And the priority for these resources is not another regional jet. Rather, those resources provide the seed capital for the next commercial aircraft that can only be something bigger than the E195-E2.
- With Scope Clause leaving no market for a better regional jet, and the E2 program moving forward at a steadily improving pace, Embraer can deploy its skilled developers on ‘what comes next.’ The lesson is plain to see: Airbus and Boeing are harvesting, and under no pressure to do anything new. They are both sitting on backlogs over a decade long. Airbus can’t deliver A321s fast enough. Boeing has to get its MAX 10 certified and start delivering on that order book.
- The good news is that the duopoly proves the case for the single-aisle MOM. There’s more demand than supply. And that situation looks like continuing far into the future. JetZero’s Z4 is chasing that same market and has investors who share the vision. That’s another endorsement that this is the right segment to focus on.
- This brings us back to this story. The path Embraer is almost certainly working on is a bigger model, in the 180-240 seat category. The biggest challenge isn’t technology or materials – Embraer understands this as well as any OEM. Their primary hurdle is risk management. The lesson of Bombardier’s CSeries is still fresh.
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