Embraer revealed that it has seven C-390 airlifters in different stages of assembly at its factory in Brazil. According to the company, four aircraft will be delivered to the Brazilian Air Force, another two to Portugal and one to Hungary.
The military transport aircraft is one of the largest projects of the Brazilian manufacturer, but so far it has only 34 firm orders, thanks to a recent contract for five aircraft with the Netherlands.
There are currently five KC-390s (variant with aerial refueling capability) in service with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which originally intended to receive 28 aircraft, but reduced its order to 22 examples.
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Portugal, which is expected to receive its first KC-390 in 2023, has ordered another five jets while Hungary has struck a deal for two aircraft.
The FAB, however, has already expressed its intention to cut the order by another seven aircraft, which would lead Embraer to have an order backlog of only 27 aircraft, 12 of which have already been completed or are in the final manufacturing process.
The planemaker has made several tours around the world in search of new customers for the C-390 Millennium. Among the main initiatives is a possible industrial partnership with India and the sale of the aircraft to Saudi Arabia, with the support of BAe Systems.
