12 July 2019: The Portuguese Government has ordered five multi-mission airlifters Embraer KC-390 as to modernise Portuguese. The deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to start in 2023.
The KC-390 was awarded the Civil Certification from the Brazilian National Aviation Agency (ANAC) in 2018 and is now in full serial production. The aircraft will enter into service in the 3rd quarter of 2019 with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), with follow on deliveries to occur throughout the year.
The KC-390 can perform various military and civilian missions which include medical evacuation, humanitarian support, search and rescue and firefighting, while completely meeting the needs of the Portuguese Air Force, adding new superior cargo and troops transport, aerial delivery and aerial refuelling capabilities.
"Today is a historic day for the KC-390 Program and I want to thank those who have contributed to the project. This is a very important step to consolidate the aircraft which we believe will become another success for Embraer. The Portuguese KC-390 will meet new interoperability requirements, in the areas of secure navigation, data and voice transmission that will allow the KC-390 to integrate joint operations in multinational alliances in which Portugal is integrated. These requirements, developed in partnership with the Portuguese Air Force, will enable the KC-390 to meet the needs of many other nations around the world." said Jackson Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. "The industrial partnership between Portugal and Embraer contributes to the development of engineering and the Portuguese aeronautics industry, representing more than 300 million euros in exports each year and thousands of highly skilled jobs."