Embraer sees KC-390 Millenium as transport aircraft of choice for SAAF
Date: 26 June 2026
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is hopeful the South African Air Force (SAAF) will select its KC-390 Millenium as its next transport aircraft.
This is according to Marcio Monteiro, Chief Marketing Officer for Embraer Defence & Security, who was speaking to DefenceWeb during a media tour at Embraer’s São José dos Campos facility in São Paulo state on 10 June.
Embraer has been pursuing a South African contract for a number of years. In line with this goal and in support of securing other defence business in the region, Embraer earlier this year appointed a Business Development Director for the Southern African Region.
At the time of the appointment in January, Embraer said it reflects the company’s long-term strategic vision to deliver state-of-the-art operational capabilities while fostering collaboration with Southern African countries and local industry, driving growth and contributing to the country’s economic development.
Embraer has brought its KC-390 to South Africa twice: first in November 2023, when it was shown to representatives from various government departments, including for disaster relief. In April 2024, Embraer officials met with the South African National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to explain the aircraft’s use for missions such as fire-fighting and humanitarian airlift. The second visit was for the September 2024 Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition.
In April 2025 Embraer signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Denel, outlining the framework for a potential future collaboration on the KC-390, with a focus on aerostructures manufacturing, maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities. At the time, Chris Boshoff, Group Executive CEO Aerospace at Denel said the collaboration “will further strengthen our ties. Denel is well-equipped and is a suitably qualified industrial partner to undertake the necessary tasks envisaged for the collaboration and will significantly enhance the strategic airlift support capabilities on the African continent.”
“We are looking forward to providing South Africa with the most advanced aircraft in its category while co-operating with South Africa’s defence industry,” Fabio Caparica, Vice President of Contracts at Embraer Defence and Security, said at the time.
Embraer continues to engage with the South African defence industry to support local growth, knowledge and skills transfer. It already has a footprint in South Africa through its commercial aircraft: Airlink is the largest commercial Embraer operator in Africa, using more than half a dozen different Embraer models – it is in the process of receiving ten new E195-E2s (leased through Azorra). In South Africa, ExecuJet is the authorised maintenance, repair and overhaul provider for Embraer on the commercial side.
The KC-390 Millennium is a next generation military transport aircraft particularly suited for operations in South Africa, according to Embraer. Its versatility, ease of reconfiguration between missions and ability to operate from unprepared airstrips make it an ideal, cost-efficient, aircraft for modern armed forces on the African continent.
The KC-390 can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military transport aircraft and fly faster (470 knots/870 km/h) and farther, Embraer said of its airlifter. It is capable of performing a wide range of missions including humanitarian aid, transport and airdrop of cargo and troops, air-to-air refuelling as tanker and receiver, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and special operations, while operating from temporary or unpaved runways such as packed earth, soil and gravel.
The KC-390’s ability to function as an air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tanker adds to the type’s appeal. With a probe and drogue system, the KC-390 can transfer fuel to receiver aircraft using wing pods. The KC-390 is capable of refuelling both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, operating at speeds from 120 to 300 knots and at altitudes from 2 000 to 32 000 feet. An on-ground refuelling capability can be used to refuel vehicles or forward operating bases. South Africa lost its aerial refuelling capability when its Boeing 707 tankers were retired – this capability would have been useful when Gripens were deployed to the Central African Republic in 2013 but had to make multiple ground refuelling stops.
Late last year Saab and Embraer, in cooperation with the Brazilian Air Force, successfully completed their certification flight test campaign for in-flight refuelling of the Gripen E by the KC-390. Both the Brazilian and South African Air Forces operate Gripens, with the Brazilians flying E/F models and South Africa C/D models. Other KC-390 operators that can use the aircraft to refuel their own Gripens are the Hungarian and Czech air forces.
Cognisant of the South African Air Force’s limited budget, Embraer has also been pitching the KC-390 to other government departments as it sees the aircraft being able to fulfil requirements such as firefighting and disaster relief. Recent flooding and fires in January, a hurricane-strength storm in the Western Cape in May and other recent natural disasters have highlighted the need for the government to be able to respond effectively.
Embraer said the KC-390 could easily take on missions for the South African National Defence Force, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, as well as the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. These range from the transport of freight, personnel and vehicles for peace keeping operations to special operations, humanitarian support, medical evacuation, search and rescue, maritime surveillance, fire-fighting, air to air refuelling, and disaster management. In fire-fighting guise, the KC-390’s roll-on/roll-off fire-fighting system allows the aircraft to carry up to 11 000 litres of water or fire-retardant.
The SAAF has spent billions of rands in recent years on chartering aircraft to move troops and equipment in and out of places like the Democratic Republic of Congo in support of peace missions there – money which could arguably have been spent on acquiring new transport aircraft. Between the 2021/22 and 2025/26 financial years, the SA National Defence Force spent R2.3 billion on charter flights, by and large necessitated because SAAF platforms, including 28 Squadron’s ageing C-130BZ Hercules medium transports – are with one exception not operational.
Growing sales success story
Embraer has been racking up sales successes with the KC-390, accumulating 60 firm orders and selections and 29 options – multiple sales campaigns are currently underway. There are 14 aircraft currently in service with Brazil (8 since 2019), Portugal (4 since 2023), and Hungary (1 since 2024). These have achieved a 93% mission capable rate and a 99% mission completion rate during 21 800 flight hours through to April 2026.
The Brazilian Air Force was the KC-390’s launch customer with 18 firm orders, followed by Portugal (6), Hungary (2), South Korea (3), the Netherlands (5), Austria (4), Czech Republic (2), Uzbekistan (2), Sweden (4), and the UAE (10). Portugal and the UAE also have options for ten each and the Netherlands nine. Meanwhile, Lithuania and Slovakia have selected the type.
Monteiro sees a market for 450 KC-390s over the next 20 years, with 40% of that coming from Asia, 20% from the Middle East, 17% from Europe, 13% from Africa, and 10% from South America. There are over 230 aircraft in the KC-390’s class that are over 45 years old and due for replacement now, he emphasised.
Production is ramping up to meet demand: three aircraft were manufactured in 2024 and four in 2025, with this set to double to eight in 2028 and reach ten a year in 2030. A total of six KC-390s will be manufactured this year, with deliveries scheduled for South Korea, Uzbekistan, and the Czech Republic. Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state, where the KC-390 is produced, has a total capacity of 18 aircraft per year.
Republished with permission of DefenceWeb.
