The first Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft has arrived in Hungary for testing, escorted by two Hungarian Defense Forces Gripen fighters.
The KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft manufactured for the Hungarian Defense Forces will stay at the Kecskemét (central Hungary) airbase for three weeks, Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky informed on Thursday.
The Hungarian armed forces are currently fulfilling a ten-year development program that affects the field of air transport, airspace protection and cyber protection.
According to the statement, the Minister said that the testing schedule, which began after the aircraft’s first take-off on February 8, 2024, has entered its final phase, with ground and air tests being carried out in the final stages of the production process.
The current phase of testing involves the installation and validation of NATO’s special communications equipment, and after that the aircraft will return to Brazil to complete the work, he added.
The aircraft is currently not flying under Hungarian registration. Its official handover, together with its entry into the Hungarian register, is expected in the fall.
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The current registration number PT-ZHP is temporary, as mentioned ,the Minister also noted that the aircraft is not yet flying under Hungarian registration, he said,
Its official handover, including its registration in the Hungarian register, is expected in the autumn.
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted that mobility is a fundamental need of all armed forces, which increasingly requires the development of air transport.
Not only the speed of logistical support, but also the increasing distances that personnel and supplies have to cover, given Hungary’s active role in remote missions, justify the use of modern military transport aircraft with high transport capacity.
Following the retirement of the Antonov AN-26 military transport aircraft and the growing military transport needs, the Hungarian Defense Forces will acquire two Embraer KC-390 Millennium transport aircraft by the end of 2024, which will provide the Defense Forces with additional capability in military air transport.
The Hungarian version of the aircraft will be capable of carrying payloads of up to 26 tons and will be able to transport beds for intensive care patients and the wounded. In addition to this, the acquisition will also provide the Defense Forces with a completely new competence.
The KC-390 Millennium is capable of aerial (in-flight) refueling of combat aircraft, including the JAS-39 Gripen fighter of the Hungarian forces. The investment is therefore a niche development for NATO in the region.
Hungary is not the only country that buys these aircraft. The Czechs are the fourth NATO member state in Europe to order the KC-390 Millennium, with Portugal ordering five, Hungary two and the Netherlands also five.
The KC-390 Millennium from the Brazilian Aerospace company Embraer is a multi-mission, twin-engine, medium-range transport jet.
Apart from transporting various cargoes, the aircraft is capable of carrying out search and rescue operations, medical evacuation and refueling aircraft in the air.
Powered by a pair of IAE V2500-E5 engines, C-390 Millennium reaches a top speed of 988 km/h, with a standard cruising speed of 870 km/h, Maximum load capacity is 26 tons.
The KC-390 version can carry 80 fully equipped soldiers, 66 paratroopers or 74 stretchers in an aeromedical evacuation configuration.
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