Embraer’s C-390 Millennium medium airlifter has commenced a multi-stop demonstration tour, including visiting countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The turbofan-powered Millenium was displayed at the Singapore Airshow for the first time, following an appearance at the World Defence Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as Embraer ramps up its marketing campaign around the world.
The Brazilian manufacturer is targeting customers who are currently operating ageing Lockheed C-130 Hercules fleets and it sees several opportunities across the Asia-Pacific.
Key among these is Singapore, which flies some of the oldest C-130 aircraft in the world and it’s no coincidence that the Millennium was present at the Singapore Airshow between 20-23 February.
Embraer officials were tight-lipped about where the aircraft would visit on its sales tour but ADM understands that the aircraft departed Singapore for Bangkok after the show. The Royal Thai Air Force also operates a fleet of older Hercules and is seen as a near-term potential customer.
Other potential customers in the region include India, Japan, Malaysia and possibly Vietnam.
Australia and New Zealand had been viewed as possibilities but both countries have since decided to purchase C-130J-30 Hercules via the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process.
The aircraft at Singapore is the third C-390 built by Embraer and was used for test and development work. It will eventually be refurbished and delivered to the Brazilian Air Force, which has 19 aircraft on order. Embraer has already delivered six C-390s to the Brazilian Air Force, which has recently declared full operational capability with the aircraft.
The C-390 has so far been selected by Austria (four aircraft), Brazil (19), the Czech Republic (two), Hungary (two), the Netherlands (five), Portugal (five) and South Korea (undisclosed).
Shortly before the show, Embraer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahindra Aerospace & Defense in India to partner for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) program, and during Singapore 2024 the company signed a similar agreement with ST Engineering.