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MoD signed contract for two Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft

Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

4.11.2024
Author: by MoD Press Section

The Czech MoD signed a contract with Embraer of Brazil for the procurement of two Embraer C-390 Millennium medium transport aircraft. The acquisition will boost the capabilities of the Czech Armed Forces and the Czech Air Force in the domain of airlifting personnel and materiel, evacuation, firefighting and in-flight refuelling. The Czech Government authorised the procurement at the beginning of October.

For the Czech Republic, the contract was signed by Director General of the MoD Armaments and Acquisition Division Lubor Koudelka and for Embraer by Sales Director Marcio Eduardo Regis Monteiro and Marketing Director Rubens A. de Figueiredo Mauad.

"The past and the present shows us clearly that the armed forces need to have the capability of airlifting persons and heavier loads over greater distances. Evacuation from Afghanistan and Sudan clearly testifies to that. I am therefore very glad that we have managed to acquire for the Czech Air Force the capability enabling them to perform such missions," Defence Minister Jana Černochová said to mark the occasion.

"This order from the Czech Republic represents another important milestone for Embraer, which attests to the trust this country shows in our top technologies for Czech Armed Forces missions, and emphasizes that the aircraft is suitable for operations in Europe and NATO. In addition, it deepens the cooperation of Embraer with the Czech aerospace industry, which has been recognized for decades for its expertise and high quality products," said marketing director of EMBRAER Marcio Eduardo Regis Monteiro.

The Czech Armed Forces currently does not have aircraft that could evacuate, for example, a larger number of people from crisis areas. The acquisition of C-390 will significantly expand the capabilities of the Czech Air Force. In addition to the transport, they will enable fighting wildfires. C-390 will also have their own protection systems for threat environments or modules for Search and Rescue operations.

The Czech Republic will receive the first unit already in 2025. In addition to the aircraft themselves, EMBRAER will also deliver a comprehensive training and support package for smooth integration of C-390 aircraft into the Czech Air Force. The Czech Republic will become the fourth C-390 NATO operator, following Portugal, Hungary and the Netherlands.

Industrial cooperation is also an important element of the whole contract. The Czech MoD concluded an industrial cooperation agreement with Embraer early in October with the program's value at US$82.3 million. However, the Czech defence industry has already been involved in the manufacture of C-390 aircraft, as AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s. produces several components for the C-390.

The C-390 aircraft can transport up to 26 tons of cargo, or 80 passengers or 64 fully armed airborne soldiers. As with other transport aircraft, the range varies depending on the weight of the material or passengers transported. The fully loaded aircraft has a range of 2,000 kilometers, with a load of 23 tons 2,720 km and with a load of 14 tons 5,020 km. The maximum range is 6,000 km, using additional tanks up to 8,000 km. The C-390 is also able to operate from unpaved airstrips.