In a ceremony April 14 at the seventh Latin America Aero and Defence (LAAD) trade fair in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Embraer signed a contract with the home country’s air force for the KC-390 military transport aircraft program.
“The launch of the KC-390 program is a new landmark in the historical strategic partnership between the Brazilian air force [FAB] and Embraer,” Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer’s president and CEO said. “We are convinced that the development of the KC-390 will result in an effective cargo and tanker aircraft for the FAB and shall also become another successful export platform for both Embraer and Brazil.”
The FAB established the requirements for this aircraft in full compliance with Brazil’s the new nationa defense strategy, the company said.
The participation of other countries in this program will be evaluated, in conjunction with the FAB, and the aircraft is expected to enter service in 2015.
According to Embraer, the KC-390 Program will contribute, in the short term, to maintaining highly qualified jobs, and, longer-term, it has the potential for generating significant export volumes with important aggregate value.
The existence of a study regarding this military transport aircraft was presented two years ago, at LAAD 2007. The jet will have a cargo bay equipped with an aft ramp, to transport a wide variety of types of cargo, including armored vehicles, and will be outfitted with the most modern systems for handling and launching cargos, the company said.
The new jet can be refueled in flight and used for in-flight or on-ground refueling of other aircraft. Its cargo bay will allow configurations for medical evacuation missions.
The technical advances of the KC-390 include fly-by-wire technology, which lessens pilot workload by optimizing mission results and increasing safety and the capability for operating on short and rustic runways, the company added.