Brazil Air Force receives new KC-390 aircraft
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) on Wednesday (Sep 4) received its newest military aircraft, the multiple-use plane KC-390, manufactured in Brazil by plane maker Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica SA, Embraer. The delivery ceremony was held at the Anápolis air base in Goiás state and was attended by President Jair Bolsonaro, Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva, Armed Forces commandants, and several other authorities.
In his address at the ceremony, Bolsonaro talked about sovereignty and once again rebutted statements from foreign leaders about the introduction of an international administration system to control the Amazon, as suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron. “Brazil is a peaceful country, but cannot and will not continue being passive towards this kind of attack. The Brazilian Amazon belongs to us,” he declared.
The international reverberations about the fires in the Amazon on the press, talked about by international agencies and presidents, served to unite Brazilians with a sentiment of patriotism, the president argued. “What happened over the last few days was good to prompt patriotism among us,” he added.
Multiple-use
KC-390 is the largest military aircraft designed and built in the Southern Hemisphere. It is said to have the conditions to conduct any transport operation, like carrying paratroopers and troops and cargo launches, in addition to in-flight fueling, medical evacuations, humanitarian aid, search and rescue, and anti-fire efforts. The plane also has the capacity to operate in unpaved or damaged airstrips and in virtually any part of the globe, including Antarctica and wooded areas, like the Amazon.
The first units of the multi-mission aircraft will be houses at the Anápolis air base. In 2014, the Brazilian government acquired 28 KC-390 planes, which will gradually replace transport aircraft C-130 Hercules. Embraer did not specify how much a single plane costs, as the final amount changes according to the customization required by clients. The Portuguese government also signed an agreement for the purchase of five units of the KC-390.
Prominent position
In his speech, Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva said the delivery of the aircraft consolidated Brazil’s prominent position in the international market of military vehicles.
“The delivery of the airplane, in addition to representing a significant increase in the Armed Forces’ operational capacity, represents a potential for the expansion of the Brazilian presence in the international defense market, thus invaluably contributing to the country’s economy,” Silva argued.
Portugal’s commission of five KC-390 “opens the doors of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [Nato] for these aircraft. Furthermore, Brazil’s recent position as a preferred non-NATO member expands these possibilities even further,” he stated.
Technology
The KC-390 is reported to be the only in its category equipped with a fly-by-wire command system, which controls the behavior of the plane during the flight, ensuring accurate maneuvers and reducing crew work.
The new model is 35.2m long in length, 35.5m in wingspan, and 11.84m in height. With a cargo capacity of 26 tons, the plane may transport heavy weaponry, like bazookas, armored combat vehicles, and even helicopters. The aircraft has the autonomy to fly 6 thousand km without refueling, may reach up to 870 km/h and reach 11 thousand m high, thanks to its two state-of-the-art Turbofan Aero Engines V2500 engines.
