Page 70 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2021

INTERVIEW
The KC-390 is proving itself now that it is operating with the Brazilian Air Force, please tell us more about it?
JMS: The C-390 Millennium aircraft, and the KC-390 refuelling version, is the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Defence and Embraer, with an initial target to design and build the new generation medium sized military aircraft to replace their fleet of 31 Lockheed Martin C-130H aircraft operated by the Brazil- ian Air Force (FAB), setting new standards in its category.
Some of the aircraft’s strengths are its unrivalled mobility and operational flexibility in a single platform. This provides air forces with optimal fleet performance generated by a cost-effective com- bination of high availability and productivity. The C-390 Millenni- um flies faster and carries more cargo than other military airlifters of the same size and features a robust design, flexibility, proven state-of-the-art installed technologies and easier maintenance. The aircraft needs fewer on-demand inspections and maintenance actions which reduces overall operating costs, contributing to excellent availability levels and low life-cycle costs.
The Brazilian Air Force current fleet of the Embraer KC-390s, the air-to-air configuration of the C-390 Millennium, stand at four and these aircraft have exceeded 3,650 flight hours in operation, includ- ing its extensive use to transport equipment and medical supplies across the country urgently needed to address the COVID-19 situa- tion in Brazil. In addition to the Brazilian Air Force, the Hungarian Defence Force and the Portuguese Armed Forces have signed for the C-390 Millennium’s multi-mission aircraft with air-to-air refueling (AAR) configuration, the KC-390.
with President and CEO of Embraer Defence
& Security
Please introduce Embraer for our readers?
JMS: Embraer is a leading aerospace company with a proud 52-year history serving the defence, commercial, and executive aviation industry segments. It has achieved notable recognition as global market leader manufacturing the C-390 Millennium multi-mission transport aircraft, the A-29 Super Tucano light air attack, armed reconnaissance and tactical training aircraft and jets including the ERJ 145 and the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft. Embraer has a strong presence in the global Defence market, with more than 1400 aircraft delivered in more than 60 countries. With broader solutions for air, land, sea, space and cyber domains, in the last decade, the Company has invested in a diversified product portfolio, which includes a full line of integrated solutions and applications such as Command and Control Center, radars and ISR (Intelligence, Sur- veillance & Reconnaissance).