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On 04 December, Embraer introduced that it signed a contract with South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program (DAPA) to provide the Republic of Korea Air Pressure (ROKAF) with an undisclosed variety of C-390 Millennium transport plane. Particulars later emerged that the ROKAF will purchase three C-390s – alongside spare components in addition to coaching and logistics help – for $544 million USD.
Not solely does the deal mark Embraer’s first C-390 order within the Asia Pacific area, but it surely provides one other high-profile buyer to the plane’s rising userbase. South Korea joins Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Austria. With early traction amongst NATO states and key US allies, the C-390’s business progress up thus far has been promising; is that this the momentum Embraer must rival Lockheed Martin’s C-130J-30 out there for changing legacy Hercules plane?
Background
Constructing on its expertise creating, and manufacturing government jets and civil airliners, Embraer, Brazil’s aerospace large, launched into designing its first large-sized army plane. Growth work started in earnest in 2009, with Embraer envisaging the C-390 as a multirole tanker-transport (MRTT). Embraer rolled out the primary prototype in 2009 and, in flip, carried out the C-390’s maiden flight in February 2015. The C-390 achieved full operational functionality with the Brazilian Air Pressure (FAB) in March 2023, which at present operates 4 plane. The FAB had an unique requirement for 28 C-390s, however recurring austerity measures compelled it to chop its dedication to 22 plane.
With a most take-off weight (MTOW) of round 87 tons, the C-390 is powered by two IAE V2500-E5 high-bypass turbofan engines, every offering a thrust of 139.4 kN. The C-390 presents a elevate capability of about 26 tons and a ferry vary of two,000 km when at full load. As well as, the plane can even deploy a pair of Cobham pods to offer air-to-air refueling through the hose-and-drogue technique.
Twin Jets versus Quad Turboprops
The Embraer C-390 and Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 are competing in a single key market: the necessity to substitute legacy Hercules variants, just like the C-130B/E/H. Previous to the C-390’s availability, virtually each air arm that operated a legacy C-130 had changed its outdated Herc’s with the C-130J/J-30. Certainly, the adage of “solely a Herc can substitute a Herc” held true for many years as no different plane provided the correct mix of helpful elevate, versatility (e.g., hot-and-high efficiency), and value effectiveness (through a worldwide userbase plus large economies-of-scale from American orders) in a single bundle.
Nevertheless, Embraer is just not coming at this market with one other Hercules; quite, the corporate took steps to create a competing answer with its personal distinctive strengths. Thus, the competitors between the Millennium and Hercules is just not just one between two comparable plane, but additionally, two distinct approaches to fixing one drawback. That is the competitors between twin jet engines and 4 turboprop engines.
The C-390 doesn’t have – and sure by no means will generate – the economies-of-scale behind the C-130. However Embraer took a key step in making the C-390 comparatively cost-effective regardless of it being a brand new platform. It was via the part of two IAE V2500-E5s as a substitute of turboprop engines.
The IAE V2500 is among the many powerplant choices of the Airbus A320. Thus, the engine advantages from an enormous manufacturing run spanning hundreds of items. Thus, many potential C-390 operators will, ultimately, have a set as much as help the C-390 (through their airways’ A320s) in place already. If not, then the price of establishing that upkeep and help arrange ought to be comparatively possible thanks the engine’s in depth adoption, thus discovering the requisite experience, floor help tools, and components shouldn’t be tough…
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