Embraer continues to shake up the military transport aircraft market with its C-390 Millennium, which is competing in South Korea’s Large Transport Aircraft (LTA) II programme.

To comply with offset requirements for the programme, which is being run by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Embraer recently inked several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with South Korean aerospace companies ASTG (Aerospace Technology of Global), EMK (EM Korea Co.) and Kencoa Aerospace, with the objective of strengthening collaboration with Korean defence industry partners for the future supply of parts for the C-390 Millennium aircraft. 

Local industry capabilities can also be part of future developments within Embraer’s existing platforms such as the C-390 Millennium as well as new aircraft, vehicles, and systems.

“By offering more than 50 years of experience in aviation, technology and innovation, Embraer is looking to establish meaningful partnerships in South Korea to create new businesses and solutions,” said Jackson Schneider, President & CEO, Embraer Defense & Security.

The C-390 Millennium and its aerial refuelling configuration, the KC-390, are a new generation of multi-mission military transport which offer rapid re-configuration, high availability, enhanced comfort, as well as optimal management of reduced operational costs throughout its lifecycle, all on a single platform.

Since the first delivery to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the KC-390 Millennium has proven its capability, reliability, and performance. FAB's current fleet of KC-390 stands at five units. The fleet has already exceeded 7,000 flight hours in operation, with a 99% mission completion rate.

In June 2022, the Netherlands Ministry of Defence announced the selection of the C-390 Millennium to replace its current fleet of C-130 Hercules. The Portuguese Armed Forces and the Hungarian Defence Forces will begin operations with the KC-390 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The three European countries' fleets will be capable of performing aerial refuelling and be fully NATO compatible.