During his visit to South Africa earlier this month, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva explicitly stated that his country wanted South Africa to join the KC-390 aircraft programme. The KC-390 is a twin-jet medium mili- tary transport and air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft being designed and developed by Brazil’s highly successful and private- sector aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, under an initial $1,3-billion contract from the Brazilian Air Force. Embraer and Brazil are looking for strategic partners to join the programme.

South Africa’s predominantly State- owned Denel Saab Aerostructures has long been interested in participating in the KC-390 programme, and, in March, Brazilian Air Force commander General Juniti Saito revealed that South Africa had been “confirmed” as a partner country in the programme. It is now clear that this meant that South Africa had been approved as a desirable partner and would be allowed to join the programme if the South Africans wanted to. (Other partner States identified by Saito were Chile, Colombia and Portugal.)

At the Farnborough Air Show, in England, last week, Embraer revealed further details of the KC-390 programme. “We want as many strategic partners as possible, because to be on board you have to take the nonrecurring costs and you have to commit to buying the KC-390 in the future,” Embraer executive vice-president: defence market Orlando Neto told UK aerospace journal Flight International. “If there is a decision for an air force and a local indus- try to participate, that is a government- to-government decision . . . A handful of countries would be fine.”

Originally, the South African Air Force (SAAF) wanted to replace its (now retired) Boeing 707 tanker and (still operational) Lockheed Martin C-130B Hercules transport aircraft with eight Airbus Military A400M transport and tanker aeroplanes. But, last November, South Africa cancelled its A400M order. Although it is possible that South Africa could reorder the European aircraft, the indications are that it would be for a smaller number – probably four. Such a move would safeguard the A400M work packages placed with South African aerospace companies, while making room for the acquisition of KC-390s and allowing the country to join the Brazilian programme and obtain work packages for the local industry.

Interestingly, SAAF chief Lt-Gen Carlo Gagiano last week told Business Day: “We are taking a three-tier approach to acquiring new [transport] aircraft, buying fewer aircraft in each of the heavy, medium and light transport categories.” Gagiano did not define these categories, but, internationally, the A400M is regarded as heavy transport and the KC-390 as medium transport.

Embraer’s $1,3-billion contract covers the conception, design and development of the KC-390 and the tooling and assembly jigs needed to manufacture the aeroplane, as well as the building and certification of two prototypes. The current contract does not cover the series production of the aircraft. But the Brazilian Air Force could order more than 30 production examples, while export orders could run as high as 700 over the coming years.

“We are just finalising the preliminary design phase as we speak. Then will come the initial definition phase, the joint definition phase, the detailed design and building and certification of the prototypes,” explained Neto. “The initial definition phase is where suppliers and strategic partners will be defined and put on board, because they need to be here for the joint definition phase.” The period in which partners and suppliers can join the programme will end next May.

The KC-390 will have a cargo deck 17,8 m long, 3,45 m broad and 2,9 m high (unaffected by the wing box, that is, where the wing joins the fuselage) and will be able to carry 23,4 t of fuel in its wing tanks (plus another 14 t of fuel in the tanker role) and – in the transport role – have a maxi- mum payload of 19 t. With this maximum payload, it will have a range of 1 450 nautical miles, rising to 2 800 nautical miles, with a 11-t payload.

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