TSAMTO, February 14th. On February 9, the Brazilian company Embraer announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with India's Mahindra Defense Systems, providing for the joint supply of multi-purpose BTA C-390 Millennium aircraft to the Indian Air Force.
The terms of the memorandum will be implemented in practice in the case of the acquisition of the C-390 by the Indian Air Force as part of the project for the purchase of a promising medium transport aircraft (MTA). The memorandum was signed at the Brazilian Embassy in New Delhi.
According to Embraer Defense & Security President and CEO Bosco da Costa Junior, India is a key market for Embraer. The company sees the partnership as a symbol of strengthening relations between Brazil and India and as a way to promote cooperation between the countries of the Global South.
Embraer and Mahindra will work with the Indian Air Force to determine the next steps under the MTA program, and will also organize interaction with the Indian aerospace industry to begin developing a project implementation plan.
Mahindra Defense Systems specializes in the manufacture of armored vehicles and security products, including electronics. Embraer implements military and commercial aviation projects in India. In August 2023, Embraer held a "C-390 Day" in New Delhi to deepen cooperation with the Indian aerospace industry.
Since the adoption of the Brazilian Air Force in 2019 and the start of deliveries to the Portuguese Air Force in 2023, the C-390 has demonstrated its capabilities to customers. At the moment, the flight time of the C-390 fleet exceeds 11,500 hours. The Brazilian Air Force C-390 Millennium received the status of full readiness for combat use in 2023.
To date, the C-390 has been selected by the Armed Forces of Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, as well as the Republic of Korea.
The aircraft can be used to perform various military and civilian tasks, including troop and cargo transportation, amphibious operations, medical evacuation, high-precision cargo landing, search and rescue operations, fire extinguishing and aerial refueling. Equipped with the necessary equipment, the KS-390 has already proven the possibility of refueling in the air both as a tanker using underwing containers and as a receiver.
The KC-390 can transport 26 tons of cargo, reach a maximum speed of 470 knots (870 km/h), and be used on unpaved or damaged runways. The flight range with 23 tons of cargo is 1,380 nautical miles (2,556 km), the maximum flight altitude is 36 thousand feet, the distillation range with internal tanks is 4,640 nautical miles. The practical ceiling is 11 thousand meters. The KC-390 is equipped with two turbojet twin-circuit engines (turbofan) V2500-E5 from International Aero Engines, the latest avionics, a rear ramp and an improved cargo handling system, the Gabbiano radar of the Leonardo group.
As part of the MTA project, the Indian Air Force intends to purchase a batch of 40, 60 or 80 VTA aircraft. In a request for information published in February 2023, the Air Force stated that the aircraft should have a payload capacity of 18 to 30 tons.