Next generation KC-390 multi-mission tanker/transport Setting New Standards
At Paris Air Show 2017, MONS had the opportunity to fly in the next generation KC-390 multi-mission tanker/transport aircraft.
In addition the order from Brazil (28 to Brazilian Air Force – FAB, with the first one being delivered Q1/2018 and the second in Q2/2018), Embraer has received letters of intent from five other potential customers for 32 KC-390 aircraft, according to Jackson Schneider, Embraer Defense & Security CEO.
“The company is working hard to have first international contract will be announced this year,” Schneider said. “We are invited to participate in some international bids, by end of 2019/2020.”
Embraer has responded to a late 2016 New Zealand request for information (RfI) for a Future Air Mobility Capability (FAMC), with an offer for five KC-390 multimission transport aircraft.
The aircraft is due to carry out a wet air-to-air fighter aircraft refuelling test in Q1/2018 and helicopter tests straight after that, the CEO disclosed.
The KC-390 is a new multi-mission, medium-lift transport aircraft that was designed to set new standards in its category, while presenting the lowest life-cycle cost on the market, according to the company. The flight test campaign of the KC-390 is progressing extremely well, validating the aircraft’s design goals of performance and capacity, defined through advanced engineering tools. Recently, Embraer and the FAB successfully completed the first dry contact (without fuel transfer) between the KC-390 and F-5M fighters (see story on MONS). Initial operational capability (IOC) declaration is expected for the second half of 2017. The aircraft uses the most modern Fly by Wire System by BAE Systems.
The aircraft uses the T3CASTM traffic management computer as the standard surveillance avionics suite by ACSS, an L-3 Communications and Thales joint venture. The T3CAS for the KC-390 features an integrated Traffic Alert & Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Mode S Transponder. In addition to the integrated TCAS and transponder in the T3CAS, the Brazilian KC-390 also included additional Mode S Transponder (XS-950) Mode S-IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) Transponder Military Airborne Surveillance System (MASS).
Using Rockwell Collins’ PRO LINE FUSION avionics system, KC-390 customers can effectively and efficiently perform demanding military missions without compromising reliability while complying with civil mandates. While PRO LINE FUSION began as a commercial offering, it has evolved to provide fully integrated military system applications to meet specialised, military only mission demands.
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