Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is eyeing the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) as a potential customer for its C-390 military transport aircraft. This strategic move follows the recent industrial cooperation agreement signed between Egypt and Brazil, which aims to enhance bilateral ties and foster technology transfers.
From 20 to 22 May, Egypt’s capital hosted a significant ministerial and business delegation from Brazil. During this visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Brasilia and the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI), a key entity within the Egyptian Ministry of Defence. While technology transfers in digital technology and artificial intelligence were on the agenda, the primary focus was defense cooperation—an encouraging development for several Brazilian companies supported by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
Embraer’s KC-390 military transport aircraft stands at the forefront of this opportunity. Already in service with the Brazilian, South Korean and Portuguese air forces, the KC-390 competes directly with the C-130, manufactured by the US company Lockheed Martin. With a payload capacity exceeding 20 tonnes, the KC-390 offers a compelling alternative to the C-130.
Challenging the Status Quo
Embraer aims to disrupt the agreement reached in January between Washington and Cairo for the potential sale of a dozen C-130s. This $2.2 billion contract, financed through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, faced scrutiny from Republican Senator Rand Paul, who raised concerns about Egypt’s human rights record. However, Egypt, which already operates a mix of legacy C-130s, is well-positioned to absorb additional aircraft and services into its armed forces.
As part of the proposed deal, the Egyptian government has requested the purchase of 60 Rolls Royce AE-2100D turboprop engines, with 12 of those as spares. This acquisition would significantly enhance Egypt’s airlift capabilities, allowing it to efficiently move supplies, equipment, and personnel—a critical asset for both security and humanitarian missions.
To solidify the agreement, the Brazilian delegation, led by Marcos Degaut (Secretary of Defence Products), Antonio Ferreira de Lima (Director of the Commercial Department), Flavio Augusto Viana Rocha (Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs), Brazilian Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, and Defence Attaché Colonel Ricardo Sergio de Souza, engaged with Abdel Moneim Al-Terras, the head of the AOI.
Cairo is actively seeking offset agreements and pursuing military technology transfers. In May 2023, JanesINTEL reported ongoing negotiations between the Brazilian Air Force and eight countries, including Egypt, for the sale of Embraer KC-390 tactical transport aircraft.
A Promising Future
Embraer’s latest C-390 Millennium brochure prominently features Egypt as an example of increased mobility. This inclusion has sparked speculation about Egypt’s official status as a customer. Furthermore, at the LAAD Defence & Security exhibition in April 2023, Embraer and Saab confirmed plans to integrate a Saab avionics suite into the C-390, further enhancing its appeal to potential buyers, including the Egyptian Air Force.
Embraer’s C-390 represents a new generation of multi-mission military transport aircraft, with flexibility at its core which is setting a new standard in medium air mobility, —one that combines mature and proven technology with state-of-the-art thinking.
For many African nations, including South Africa, Embraer believes that a capable multi-mission aircraft like the C-390 is the best option as it performs a wide range of tasks. The C-390 can transport and drop cargo and troops and perform a wide range of missions, including medical evacuation, search and rescue, humanitarian search and rescue, aerial refuelling (fighters and helicopters), aerial firefighting, and humanitarian assistance. This multi-mission capability provides air forces with optimal fleet performance, driven by a cost-effective combination of high availability and productivity.
The C-390 Millennium is the most modern military tactical transport aircraft of the new generation. Its multi-mission platform offers incomparable mobility, combining high productivity and operating flexibility with low operating costs, which is an unbeatable combination. The C-390 Millennium can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military cargo aircraft and flies faster (470 knots) and farther, being capable of performing a wide range of missions such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and humanitarian missions, operating on temporary or unpaved runways (i.e. including packed earth, soil and gravel).
In its refueling version, the aircraft has already proven its aerial refueling capacity, as well as an aircraft receiving fuel from another KC-390 using pods installed under the wings, being the only aircraft in the world in the segment to carry out such an operation. Recently, the aircraft has achieved the Full Operational Capability (FOC), confirming that the project meets all the requirements defined and that the aircraft can successfully execute all missions for which it was designed.
As Egypt seeks to bolster its capabilities, this aircraft could play a pivotal role in strengthening its air mobility, reliability, and performance.
Meanwhile, Embraer, has recently conducted a series of demonstrations of its KC-390 Millennium aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), hoping to secure a contract for the medium tactical transport aircraft.
Also, Embraer has recently demonstrated its C-390 Millenium military transport aircraft to the South African Air Force (SAAF) and other government departments, hoping to make sales across Africa.