soource: Embraer
Slovakia has selected the Embraer C-390 tactical military transport for the country’s Air Force, and plans to finalize a transaction for 3 aircraft early in 2025. This comes after a number of recent successful campaigns for the aircraft, which is currently in service with Air Forces in Brazil, Hungary, and Portugal. The type has also secured orders with Austria, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and South Korea, and has been selected by Sweden. Next up on the list are competitions in India and Saudi Arabia, which are rumored to be leaning towards the Embraer offering.
With now multiple NATO countries operating the aircraft, the question is whether several of the larger countries will begin to replace their aging C-130 turboprops with the more modern C-390 Millennium jet. With multiple countries selecting the aircraft, new opportunities are emerging for joint MRO and training operations for this relatively young type.
The competing C-130 began production in 1954 and has been in continuous production for 70 years and counting. The C-130 Hercules has been a venerable competitor, upgraded through multiple revisions, but is based on a much older design than the C-390, which first flew in 2015.
Momentum is an interesting element in the life of an aircraft program. It is important for successful program to have multiple customers, and the C-390 with 9 and counting is beginning to build that momentum. We believe that multiple NATO customers could order the C-390 as a complimentary aircraft to the Airbus A400M and C-130J in their fleets.Â
Could the C-390 capture the more than 60 countries that operate the C-130 and its variants? That remains to be seen. But the model is now gaining momentum, and could become a key element of NATO given the growing number of NATO nations selecting the aircraft. Â
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