The Netherlands and Austria announce the joint purchase of nine new C-390 Millennium military transport aircrafts from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. The Dutch Ministry of Defense was already planning to replace the four obsolete C-130 Hercules aircraft. Vienna recently joined the project.
Key points:
- The joint purchase allows both countries to obtain a lower price for the aircraft.
- The Netherlands is purchasing five C-390 aircrafts and Austria four.
According to Luchvaartnieuws, the partnership will mean a slight delay in the delivery of the new planes. But in return, Embraer has guaranteed a lower price for the buyers, acting Defense Secretary Christophe Van der Maat says in a letter to Parliament.
See also: Embraer and Rheinmetall evaluate expansion of C-390 training network in Europe
The Dutch Ministry of Defense expects to take delivery of the new transport aircraft a few years earlier, as its current fleet of C-130 Hercules nears the end of its life. The new aircrafts were originally scheduled to be delivered between 2031 and 2033, but an earlier date of 2026 had then been agreed. However, Van der Maat warns that due to prolonged negotiations, this date will not be met.
The first aircrafts is now expected to be delivered at the end of 2027. A total of five new planes will be delivered by the end of 2029. The Ministry of Defense will need one more transport aircraft than it currently has, as flights with the new C-390s are expected to become more frequent.
The project has a budget of €1.7 billion, which is within the forecast previously communicated to Parliament in The Hague. The C-390 procurement plan was first announced in 2022.
Austria, for its part, will purchase four Millenniums. The joint purchase not only allowed lowering the price of the aircrafts, but also establishes a beneficial partnership between both countries, since by using the same equipment, exchange will be encouraged and logistics and training costs will be lowered.
The C-390 is already being operated by the Brazilian and Portuguese Air Forces. Hungary has its first aircraft in flight tests. Other customers that selected the Millennium are South Korea and the Czech Republic.
