Since its first delivery to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) in 2019, the Embraer C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft has been proving its capability, reliability and outstanding performance on domestic and overseas missions, including a joint operational exercise with the US Air Force at the start of this year. The Brazilian Air Force’s current fleet of the Embraer C-390 stand at four and these aircraft have exceeded 2,500 flight hours in operation, including its extensive use in operations to transport equipment and medical supplies across the country urgently needed to address the COVID-19 situation in Brazil. In the first three months of 2021, the Brazilian Air Force’s C-390 fleet undertook more than 75 missions, clocking in 500 flight hours and an impressive mission completion rate of 99.7 per cent.

INDUCTION OF THE EMBRAER C-390 MILLENNIUM IN FAB

On September 4, 2019, Embraer delivered to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) the first multi-mission airlift C-390 at a ceremony held at Anápolis Air Base, starting preparations for the aircraft’s entry into service by FAB’s First Troop Transport Group (1st GTT). Embraer has been conducting theoretical and practical training with the Air Force teams to start operations.

The programme represents a significant advance in terms of technology and innovation for the Brazilian aeronautics industry and an operational improvement for FAB’s transport aviation. In 2014, FAB had signed a firm order for 28 units of the C-390 aircraft and initial logistical support. The aircraft are produced at the Gavião Peixoto factory, in São Paulo state.

“The incorporation of the C-390 into the Brazilian Air Force is a milestone in military aviation. Its modernity will bring an implementation and improvement in the doctrine of use of this multimission vector, greatly contributing to the fulfillment of the mission to control, defend and integrate the 22 million square kilometers under our responsibility”, said the Brazilian Air Force Commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez.

“The entry into service of the C-390 by FAB represents an important milestone for the program and it will certainly increase the growing international interest for this aircraft, consolidating the path to new sales”, said Jackson Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “We are confident that the C-390, in addition to successfully fulfilling the missions required by our Air Force, will have a positive economic impact on job creation and new investments in Brazil, as well as high value-added exports.”

On December 13, 2019 Embraer delivered the second C-390 multi-purpose transport aircraft to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The jet, registered FAB-2854, took off from the manufacturer’s headquarters in Gaviao Peixoto and proceeded to Anapolis Air Base (Wing 2), to be operated by the First Troop Transport Group.

EMBRAER C-390 MILENNIUM: A Timeline

2015

• February 2015: First flight of the C-390

• October 2015: Start of flight test campaign

2016

• July 2016: First airshow debut at the Farnborough International Airshow; First international demo tour

2017

• February 2017: Air to Air refuelling test: high speed–dry contact

• June 2017: Second international demo tour

2019

• July 2019: Delivery of the first C-390 to the Brazilian Air Force

• September 2019: Delivery of the first C-390 to the Brazilian Air Force

2020

• November 2020: Sale of C-390 to Hungary

• December 2020: Delivery of 4th C-390 to the Brazilian Air Force

2021

• April 2021: Aerial refuelling qualification between two C-390 Millennium

Embraer delivered the third multi-mission medium airlift C-390 Millennium in the series to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) on June 29, 2020. Similar to the first two units delivered in 2019 and the additional 25 which will be delivered to the FAB, this third unit was prepared to perform aerial refueling missions and will be operated by First Troop Transport Group (1st GGT).

“Receiving the third C-390 Millennium aircraft is a matter of great satisfaction for the Air Force Command, because it will be supporting the missions already underway by the other two aircraft. The greatest example is the aircraft’s use for the aerial transport of supplies and equipment for combatting and preventing COVID-19, within the operation coordinated by the Ministry of Defence, which represents an important initiative for Brazilian society,” said the Brazilian Air Force Commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez.

Embraer delivered the fourth C-390 Millennium multi-mission medium airlifter of a total of 28 units to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) on December 19, 2020. Like the three units already in operation, the fourth airlifter will be operated by the First Troop Transport Group (1st GTT). All 28 aircraft ordered by FAB are equipped to perform aerial refueling missions.

“We are very pleased with the delivery of the fourth C-390 Millennium to the Brazilian Air Force, as the airlifter has played an extremely important role in a series of humanitarian missions within the Brazilian territory and even abroad,” said Jackson Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.

In order to maximize the operational availability of the C-390 Millennium fleet in the fulfillment of various missions, FAB and Embraer Services & Support signed a comprehensive five-year services and support contract. Under the agreement, Embraer’s portfolio of solutions TechCare will be responsible for logistical and engineering support, maintenance control, component repair, support staff for the aircraft entry into service, materials supply and an additional package that includes structural analysis, maintenance bulletin development and aircraft painting, among other services.

THE EMBRAER C-390 MILLENNIUM IN ACTION

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, FAB has operated the C-390 Millennium aircraft in logistical aerial transport missions, carrying tonnes of essential supplies to fight the pandemic in Brazil. Additionally, FAB operated one of the airlifters in a humanitarian mission to the Republic of Lebanon, in support of the population of Beirut, in August of this year. Among other points highlighted by FAB in the use of the C-390 Millennium, the aircraft has been helpful in its ability to carry massive amounts of cargo, quickly, over long distances, with high dispatch reliability. As an example, the aircraft flew 2,690 kilometers, from São Paulo to Manaus, in less than four hours.

Beyond the COVID-related missions that the C-390 Millennium has been deployed for within Brazil, the Brazilian Air Force also operated one of the airlifters in a humanitarian mission to the Republic of Lebanon, in response to the explosions that took place in Beirut in August 2020. This again proved the capabilities of the C-390. In January this year, the Brazil Air Force’s C-390 participated in Operation Culminating, in the United States. This was a real operational joint exercise where the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Air Force took part alongside with the US Army and US Air Force. The Embraer C-390, C-130 and C-17 operated together for the first time during this joint exercise and both Air Forces were pleased with the performance of the C-390 and the results of the exercise.

THE GENESIS OF THE EMBRAER C-390 MILLENNIUM

A joint project between FAB and Embraer, the C-390 Millennium is a tactical transport aircraft designed to set new standards in its category. Some of the aircraft’s strengths are mobility, robust design, greater flexibility, proven state-of-the-art technology, and easier maintenance. The C-390 is an investment in capability, with sophisticated systems, a unique design ethos and open architecture to ensure that any potential capability fade is mitigated. This multi-mission jet aircraft features a rugged design that withstands operations from semi-prepared and damaged runways, as well as harsh environments, varying from the hot and humid Amazon forest to the freezing Antarctic continent, as well as hot and sandy desert conditions.

This project was initiated because of the Brazilian Air Force’s ageing C-130 fleet. Given its history of designing aircraft since 1969 and its success in designing, building, testing and entering service aircraft in the defence, commercial aviation and business aviation sectors, Embraer was more than up to the task. Over the years, Embraer has proven its track record of having its aircraft enter service on time and on schedule - sometimes even ahead of schedule.

The C-390 Millennium fly faster and carry more cargo than other military freighters of the same size and are the ideal platforms for the main usage scenarios. The aircraft requires fewer on-demand inspections and maintenance, combined with highly reliable systems and components, which reduces the time on the ground and overall operating costs, contributing to excellent availability levels and low life-cycle costs.

The C-390 is capable of transporting and launching cargo and troops and performing a wide array of missions: medical evacuation, search and rescue, humanitarian search and rescue, humanitarian aerial refueling (fighters and helicopters), aerial fire-fighting and assistance.

It has a modern cargo handling system which can transport large-sized cargo: pallets, vehicles, helicopters, troops, paratroopers, medevac stretcher, mixed configurations.

The C-390’s piloting is facilitated by an integrated avionic system and a fly-by-wire flight control and it can be equipped with a self-defence system and ballistic protection which increases its capacity to operate in hostile environments.

In April, Embraer reached another important milestone in the development of the C-390 Millennium multi-mission military freighter programme with the successful conclusion of the aerial refueling qualification between two C-390 Millennium, proving, for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), this new operational capacity of the aircraft. The in-flight refueling capacity between two aircraft of the same model using inflight refueling underwing “pods” is unique in this category. This allows C-390 Millennium operators to expand their logistical transport capacity and during search and rescue operations, which increases the autonomy and range of their missions.

The demonstrations were conducted at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto site in flights with aerial refueling between two aircraft. Pilots and engineers from FAB joined the flights, when the excellent flight qualities of the airplane and the low workload for the crew were demonstrated as a result of the “fly-by-wire” system control laws, which were developed by Embraer specifically for the C-390.

This multi-mission aircraft can be quickly configured for aerial refueling as both a tanker and a receiver aircraft. Day and night aerial refueling is made possible with observer windows and night vision cameras. The C-390 can be equipped with advanced refueling pods (Cobham 912E Series) that meet the high-performance criteria of the aircraft, providing a lightweight and efficient solution. Each pod provides fuel transfer of up to 400 US gallons per minute. Removable auxiliary fuel tanks can be installed in the cargo compartment to expand the aircraft fuel offload capacity or range performance.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Given its outstanding design and capabilities, the aircraft was handed the Grand Laureate Awards from Aviation Week, in the Defense category and the Laureate Award, in the category “Best New Defense Product,” from Aviation Week magazine. The C-390 Millennium has been at major airshows such as the Farnborough Airshow, where it made its Airshow debut in 2016, the Paris Airshow, the Dubai Airshow, LAAD in Rio de Janeiro and has also visited several countries as part of its demonstration tour.

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-toair refueling (AAR) configuration. The Hungarian government’s acquisition of the multi-mission transport aircraft is part of the process to strengthen the capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces especially in the tactical airlift, AAR and medical evacuation roles, as well as in other missions of public interest. The aircraft will be the first in the world featuring an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) configuration, an essential feature for performing humanitarian missions.

The aircraft are also designed to refuel the Hungarian JAS 39 Gripen, as well as other aircraft using the same technology. These C-390 aircraft will be fully NATO compatible, not only in terms of hardware, but also in terms of avionics and communications configuration. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2023.

The Embraer C-390 Millennium’s first international customer, the Portuguese Armed Forces (FAP) is due to receive its first unit of the aircraft in 2023. In October 2020, the Armed Forces and Embraer concluded the “Critical Design Review – CDR” for the C-390 Millennium ordered by Portugal. This step has defined the aircraft technical requirements according to FAP’s demands. The five C-390 multi-mission airlifters that Portugal has ordered will support the operations of the Portuguese Armed Forces and increase readiness in missions of national interest.

Given its performance, reliability and outstanding mission completion rates, we are confident that the C-390 will make a great impact in the airlifter market and add value to air forces and armies around the world.

WELL-SUITED TO TAKE INDIA’S ARMED FORCES TO A HIGHER LEVEL

Brazil and India share many similarities and many Embraer aircraft are operated in India across the commercial aviation, business aviation and government VIP transportation areas. The versatility of the Embraer C-390 Millennium makes it highly capable to operate in India, undertaking a range of missions across different terrains with a high reliability rate. The modern features of the C-390 and its impressive mission completion rate means that the aircraft can be part of a quick response team to address hostilities along India’s vast borders it shares with seven other countries or within.

As proven by the Brazilian Air Force, the C-390 is also able to be deployed rapidly to respond to emergency situations and humanitarian relief missions, triggered by floods, forest fires, earthquakes or COVID-like situations.

— With inputs from Embraer Defense & Security