Embraer’s C-390 Millennium airlifter obtained its third customer, Hungary. The European country signed on Tuesday a contract for the acquisition of two aircraft configured for aerial refueling.
Called the KC-390, the military transport jet will be configured to carry out humanitarian missions and therefore will have an intensive care unit, Embraer said.
“Following the procurement of personnel air transport capabilities in 2018, we will see the arrival of KC-390 aircraft to Hungary in 2023-24, able to deliver large military loads in an operational environment, as well as providing air-to-air refueling services. We are acquiring a multi-role transport fleet for the Hungarian Defense Forces to fulfill the widest possible range of tasks within the national framework, in a sovereign way, ”said Gáspár Maróth, government commissioner responsible for defense development.
“We are honored for being selected by the Hungarian Government and the Hungarian Defense Forces to provide the most advanced multi-mission transport aircraft available in the market,” said Jackson Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “Hungary is the second European nation and NATO operator to select the C-390 Millennium, a highly capable aircraft that offers excellent productivity through unrivaled combination of speed, payload and rapid reconfigurability for multi-mission operations.”
In addition to Brazil, which launched the KC-390 with 28 units ordered, Portugal also chose the jet to replace its C-130 Hercules turboprop. The first of the five planes ordered is already being assembled by the Brazilian manufacturer.
With the order, there are now two NATO member countries operating the new airlifter. Coincidentally, the KC-390 will aerial refuel the Hungarian Air Force Saab Gripen fighter jets, the same task that the Brazilian Air Force models will soon carry out with the Swedish supersonic jet.
