Portugal Announces Purchase of Five Embraer Cargo Planes for €827 Million

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Portuguese government said on Thursday, July 11th, that it plans to acquire five KC-390 military cargo planes and an Embraer flight simulator. The transaction is worth €827 million (US$932 million).

This is the first sale of the model – the largest ever produced in Brazil — to a foreign government. The KC model was developed to serve the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which purchased 28 units in 2014.

According to Portuguese Defense Minister João Gomes Cravinho, the aircraft will replace the Portuguese military fleet.

“We are going to replace the C140 fleet, which is 40 years old and is already at the limit of its use,” he said at a press conference in Lisbon.

The cargo plane is capable of transporting up to 26 tonnes at a speed of 470 knots (870 km/h), with the capacity to operate on unpaved or damaged runways.

The airframe accommodates large loads, with access through a ramp. The aircraft, which is produced at Embraer’s plant in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, may be refueled in flight.

The Portuguese government further said that the aircraft would have dual-use — military and also civilian — being used for firefighting purposes, for instance.

The purchase agreement for the KCs will also cover twelve years of maintenance service.

According to the minister, the first delivery is expected in February 2023, with one aircraft per year, until February 2027.

Embraer announced in a statement on Thursday evening that “Portugal is the largest international partner of the KC-390 Program and its participation in the development and production of the aircraft is recognized as having had a positive economic impact on the generation of jobs, new investments, increased exports and technological advances.”