Czech Republic picks Embraer C-390 cargo planes for its air force

WARSAW, Poland — The Czech Ministry of Defence has signed a deal to purchase two Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft, making Prague the fifth NATO member to order the Brazilian plane for its air force.

“Past and present history clearly shows us that the military needs to be able to transport persons and heavier cargo over longer distances. Evacuations from Afghanistan and Sudan are clear evidence of this,” Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said in a statement. “I am therefore very pleased that we have managed to buy aircraft for our Air Force that are capable of performing these tasks.”

Under the plan, the first two planes are to be delivered to the Czech military next year. The country’s own defense industry is to cooperate with the Brazilian manufacturer on the procurement, according to the statement.

“The Ministry of Defence concluded an Industrial Cooperation Agreement with Embraer in the beginning of this October, and the total value of the program is more than 82.3 million U.S. dollars,” the ministry said.

Czech company Aero Vodochody is already involved in the production of C-390 planes, as it produces a number of parts for the transport aircraft.

The defense ministry did not disclose the value of the deal. For comparison, in September 2023, Austria’s Federal Ministry of Defence decided to purchase four Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft with the aim to replace its aging fleet of three C-130 Hercules cargo planes. The Austrian ministry said in a statement the acquisition was estimated to be worth more than €500 million ($540 million).

In addition to Austria and the Czech Republic, other countries which have selected the C-390 for their armed forces include Brazil, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, and South Korea.

Embraer says the twin-engine aircraft has a maximum concentrated payload of some 26 metric tons (57,320 lb). The plane is enabled with a maximum cruise speed of 0.8 Mach. For aerial assault operations, the C-390 is capable of transporting 64 fully equipped paratroopers, according to figures from the Brazilian company.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——捷克国防部签署了一项协议，购买两架巴西航空工业公司生产的C-390“千禧”运输机，使布拉格成为第五个为其空军订购这种巴西飞机的北约成员国。

捷克国防部长雅娜·切尔诺霍娃在一份声明中表示：“过去和现在的历史都清楚地表明，军队需要具备长途运输人员和重型货物的能力。从阿富汗和苏丹撤离的行动就是明证。因此，我非常高兴我们能够为空军采购到可以执行这些任务的飞机。”

根据该计划，首批两架飞机将于明年交付捷克军方。声明称，捷克国防工业将与巴西制造商合作完成采购。

“国防部于今年10月初与巴西航空工业公司（Embraer）签署了一项工业合作协议，该项目的总价值超过8230万美元，”国防部表示。

捷克公司 Aero Vodochody 已经参与到 C-390 飞机的生产中，因为它为这种运输机生产许多零部件。

国防部并未透露交易金额。作为对比，奥地利联邦国防部于2023年9月决定购买四架巴西航空工业公司（Embraer）的C-390“千禧年”运输机，旨在替换其老旧的三架C-130“大力神”运输机。奥地利国防部在一份声明中表示，此次采购预计价值超过5亿欧元（约合5.4亿美元）。

除了奥地利和捷克共和国之外，其他选择 C-390 作为其武装部队装备的国家还包括巴西、匈牙利、荷兰、葡萄牙和韩国。

巴西航空工业公司表示，这款双引擎飞机的最大集中有效载荷约为26公吨（57,320磅）。该机最大巡航速度为0.8马赫。据这家巴西公司称，C-390在空中突击作战中能够运送64名全副武装的伞兵。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。