Brazil-based Embraer [ERJ] and the Germany-based Rheinmetall signed a framework agreement for the latter to develop and supply a suite of training equipment for the KC-390 transport plane, Rheinmetall said April 11.
Rheinmetall’s simulation and training business unit is set to design, manufacture, deliver, and support all training devices for Embraer’s new KC-390.This includes flight and mission training systems, including full mission and flight simulators, as well as cargo handling, procedure, and maintenance trainers. Rheinmetall expects the program to translate into sales worth over $114 million over the next 10 to 15 years.
The KC-390 is a tactical transport aircraft that can perform missions including cargo and troop transport, troop and cargo air delivery, aerial refueling, search and rescue, and forest fire fighting. Embraer expects the plane to be certified by the end of 2017. The first deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled for the first half of 2018.
The KC-390 is close to going into full-scale production and made its initial flight in February 2015. The Brazilian Air Force has previously ordered 28 units and other Latin American and European countries have expressed “serious interest” in the plane, Rheinmetall said.
“Rheinmetall is honored to have been selected as the training devices partner in the KC-390 program. It’s exciting to be able to demonstrate our commitment to Embraer and the entire KC-390 program by providing proven, state-of-the-art simulation technology from Germany,” Ulrich Sasse, president of Rheinmetall’s simulation and training business unit, said in a statement.
“We look forward to building on our recent fruitful cooperation with Rheinmetall and are confident that our partnership will result in a first-class KC-390 Training Media Suite that will definitely contribute to the overall success of the KC-390 program,” Jackson Schneider, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, added.