In a news conference , the Austrian Ministry of Defense has announced the selection of the Brazilian military transport aircraft C-390 Millennium as its new tactical transport solution.
"Embraer is very honored to be chosen to support this important Air Force in Europe," says an excerpt of the statement released by Embraer.
Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner announced that Austria has decided to replace its aging Lockheed C-130Ks with Embraer C-390s instead of purchasing C-130Js. Austria is aiming to buy about four aircraft and is negotiating with the Netherlands on a potential joint order, Tanner told in the conference.
Austria now joins Brazil, Portugal, Hungary and the Netherlands as the future operator of the C-390 Millennium multi-mission platform, an aircraft that is rapidly redefining the standards of tactical transport in the global defense market.
The move was seen "likely" , as the Austrian government had been assessing the KC-390 transported after delegations from the country participated in the first meeting of military jet operators in Portugal and the LAAD fair in Brazil.
Also in April this year , the Austrian Ministry of Defense had floated a request for information from potential interested entities, to come up with proposals of an aircraft capable of transporting up to 20 tons of cargo and with aerial refueling capabilities.
Talking about other Customers , the Royal Dutch Air Force announced the C-390 Millennium as a replacement aircraft for its C-130s last year , but they are yet to sign a contract with the Brazilian Manufacturer.
Embraer says that it is ready to support the Austrian Ministry of Defense and the Austrian Air Force in order to meet the demanding requirements of its acquisition process and prepared to further strengthen the relationship with this nation.
