South African aerospace company Denel Saab Aerostructures (DSA) has confirmed it is in contact with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer about joining the latter’s KC-390 military transport and tanker aircraft programme. 
“We are in conversations with Embraer about participating in the KC-390,” says DSA business development executive manager Grant Sampson. “We believe that suppliers will be down-selected 
towards the end of this year.”

Early this month, the Mixed Budget Commission of the Brazilian Congress approved a draft law which would grant extra funding to the country’s Ministry of Defence to fund various acqui-
sition programmes. This Bill 
includes 105-million reais (about R420-million) for the KC-390 programme.

Nor is this the only potential opportunity for DSA from Brazil. Later this year, the Brazilian Air Force is expected to announce the winner of its new fighter programme, known as FX-2 (the original FX programme was cancelled). 
The Saab Gripen new generation (NG) is one of three designs on the FX-2 shortlist. The others are the Dassault Rafale and the Boeing FA-18E/F Super Hornet. Also in early June, Saab submitted its “best and final offer” for the FX-2 to the Brazilian Air Force.

DSA manufactures key aerostructures for the Saab JAS39C/D Gripen, and is eager to do similar work on the Gripen NG. “We are hoping that our ongoing 
work on the Gripen would continue, depending on sales,” 
affirms Sampson. 
“This will have to be negotiated 
separately from the JAS39C/D work.”

DSA is 80%-owned by South Africa’s public-sector Denel 
defence industrial group, and 20% by Sweden’s Saab.

Embraer signed the contract with the Brazilian Air Force for the development and production of the KC-390 (previously known as the C-390) at the Latin America Aero and Defence Show 2009, in April. The signing ceremony was attended by Brazil’s Defence Minister.

The KC-390 is expected to enter service in 2015. The participation of other countries in this programme will be jointly evaluated 
by Embraer and the Brazilan Air Force. 
The details of the contract, 
including the number of aircraft ordered, have not been released. It is believed that Brazil plans to buy 23 of the new aeroplanes.

The KC-390 will be powered by two turbofan engines and will have an internal fuselage width of 3,2 m. 
It will have a maximum payload of some 19 t. (In comparison, the troubled Airbus A400M, in which DSA is a risk-sharing partner, has an internal fuselage width of 4 m and a maximum payload of 37 t).

Embraer hopes that the KC-390 will win some of the market to 
replace first-generation Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transports, and other aircraft in the same category, aged 25 years or older. 
There are 695 such aircraft currently being operated by 77 countries – excluding the US, Russia and Ukraine. 
The KC-390’s main rival will be Lockheed Martin’s new-generation C-130J Hercules.

Regarding the FX-2 programme, the Brazilian Air Force states that the selection of the winning fighter will be based on the following criteria (not in any particular order): commercial, technical, operational, logistical, offsets (both industrial and technological) and technology transfer. 
The aim is to strengthen both the Brazilian Air Force and the Brazilian aerospace industry.

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