At the 55th Paris Air Show, Brazilian manufacturer Embraer confirmed that Portugal intends to procure a sixth C-390M transport aircraft for its air force. The Portuguese government had already signed a framework agreement for five aircraft in August 2019.
With the additional procurement now announced, the FAP (Força Aérea Portuguesa) will operate six C-390Ms in future.
Ten options for NATO partners
But it is not only the fleet expansion itself that is causing a stir: Together with Embraer, Portugal also wants to include ten additional purchase options in the existing contract. These are intended to enable other European countries and NATO members to procure C-390Ms in future via state agreements with Portugal. This will not only strengthen multilateral operational capability, but also create an economic advantage through joint training, logistics and life cycle costs - and, last but not least, strategically integrate the Portuguese aviation sector.
"With this decision, we continue to invest in the capabilities of our Air Force - as a reference operator of an aircraft with unique characteristics, integrated and tested in Portugal," explained Defense Minister Nuno Melo. "The inclusion of ten options for government-to-government negotiations offers European and NATO countries access to a versatile platform that also strengthens Portugal's industrial base and training infrastructure, such as the new C-390M Training Center."
First repeat order by a user state
Embraer Defense & Security is also delighted with the order: "The fact that Portugal is the first operator to order an additional aircraft confirms the reliability and performance of the C-390M," emphasizes Bosco da Costa Junior, CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. The company is seeing increasing interest from other Western countries - and hopes that other European air forces will soon join the growing user group.
https://militaeraktuell.at/embraer-portugal-bestellt-sechste-c-390m-plus-zehn-optionen/
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