Embraer closes a new deal with NATO and sells 5 KC-390 freighters to the Netherlands

The KC-390, from Brazil’s Embraer, defeated the American Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules in the dispute to be the new transport plane for the Dutch Air Force. There will be five aircraft, to be delivered from 2026.

It is the third export contract for the model, all of them in the strategic European market of NATO (military alliance led by the US). Before, Portugal had acquired five units and Hungary, two.

According to Dutch Defense Secretary Christophe van der Maat, the initial idea was to buy four planes, but the challenges of evacuating Afghanistan and the security situation in Europe with the Ukrainian War changed the scenario.

Several countries on the continent have redone their military accounts since Vladimir Putin invaded their neighbor on February 24. This is the first deal that Embraer closes under this new reality, which until now had basically favored North American manufacturers — the same Lockheed defeated in the Netherlands supplies the very modern fifth-generation F-35 fighter, which the war turned into an item of purchase. from Germany.

There are no figures released, but Van der Maat told the Dutch parliament on Thursday that the forecast with the increase in estimated flight hours for the planes is between €1 billion (R$5.3 billion) and €2.5 billion. (R$ 13.36 billion).

That’s a pretty hefty volume, but it includes future maintenance expenses. In the Hungarian business, on a smaller scale, the package with two planes and technological support cost US$ 300 million (R$ 1.5 billion at the current exchange rate).

“Embraer is honored by the decision. Recognizing that there is still much work to be done in the coming months, we are committed to the success of this new phase of cooperation. In this process, Embraer is committed to further deepening collaboration with the industry and research centers”, said the Brazilian manufacturer in a note.

The victory is also strategic as it was over the latest version of the Hercules, the world’s most revered military transport plane, which has been flying since the 1950s.

The Model J is trying to win bids to replace the 137 aircraft of previous versions operated by European NATO countries – obviously, the dispute is much more difficult, if not impossible, in the succulent North American market, the largest in the world.

In addition, contracts abroad give an extra boost to the KC-390 program, which in its version without the ability to refuel other planes is called C-390, after the turmoil of its original contract with the FAB (Brazilian Air Force). ).

The BRL 7.2 billion deal (BRL 12 billion corrected), closed in 2014, provided for the delivery of 28 aircraft by 2027. The FAB has redone its operational and financial schedule, reducing the purchase by the same amount to 22 units by 2034 , but its commander, Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior, recently stated that the final number should be 15 aircraft.

The relationship of more than 50 between Força and Embraer, which was created by the military and privatized in 1994 for great commercial success in the market, was shaken. In an interview with Sheet, Baptista Junior emphasized that the company must now treat FAB “as a customer”. On the other hand, people linked to Embraer complain about what they see as paternalism on the part of uniforms in the relationship.

So far, five KC-390s have already been delivered to the FAB, which has announced priority for the Swedish Gripen fighters, increasing the initial order from 36 to 40 units and negotiating another 26 planes in a second batch. The model will be made together with Embraer itself in Brazil.