Embraer has delivered the first multi-mission airlift KC-390 to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). at a ceremony held at Anápolis Air Base, in the mid-western state of Goiás, 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 KC-390 was developed as a joint project between the Brazilian Air Force and Embraer to set new standards for efficiency and productivity in its class, while presenting the lowest life-cycle cost in the market. The program 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 signed a firm order for 28 units of the KC-390 aircraft and initial logistical support. The aircraft are produced at the Gavião Peixoto factory, in São Paulo state.
The KC-390 was granted the Type Certificate by the Brazilian civil aviation authority ANAC (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil) in 2018, when it achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC), which ensures that the necessary conditions have been met for the aircraft to start operations.