São Paulo – Embraer announced this Tuesday (3rd) the first flight of the military aircraft KC-390. The aerial refuelling tanker and transport aircraft was designed and built by the São José dos Campos-based company, city located in São Paulo’s heartland.
According to information provided by the company, the test flight lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes and consisted of manoeuvres to assess flight characteristics, performance and system tests. “The KC-390 behaved in a docile and predictable manner”, said the test pilot Mozart Louzada, in the company’s press release.
According to Embraer, before this flight, an intense program of simulations and ground tests took place. “The advanced system of fly-by-wire flight controls and the latest generation avionics facilitate piloting and provide smooth and accurate flight”, added Louzada, who was joined by Marcos Salgado de Oliveira Lima, also a test pilot, and engineers Raphael Lima and Roberto Becker.
The aircraft is a joint project of Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). FAB ordered 28 examples of the model, in a R$ 7.2 billion (US$ 2.66 billion) deal. According to Embraer, other countries have already demonstrated interest in the purchasing of 32 more aircraft.
“The program continues to advance as planned and the KC-390 has aroused the interest of many countries around the world”, pointed out Jackson Schneider, president of Embraer Defense Systems, according to the company’s statement.
In an interview to ANBA in November, the director of the KC-390 program, Paulo Gastão, said that Middle East countries are a market in potential for the aircraft. “In the KC-390 creation, special attention was given to operation in harsh environments, including extremely hot weather, using the most advanced technology available. The interest shown [by the market] confirms that the solutions chosen meet the expectation of the region’s operators”, he remarked at the time.
In early January, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense revealed that the United Arab Emirates were negotiating the purchase of aircraft from Embraer. The interest, however, was aimed at 24 examples of the light attack and training turboprop aircraft, Super Tucano.
Brazil and the UAE signed an agreement in the defense area in last year’s April, during the visit to Brasilia of Dubai’s prime-minister and emir, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.
In commercial aviation, Embraer already has several clients among the region’s airlines.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
