Embraer celebrated yesterday 10 years of the first flight of the KC-390 Millennium, the next-generation multi-mission tactical transport aircraft. The maiden flight, which took place in Gavião Peixoto on February 3^rd, 2015, lasted one hour and 25 minutes. It provided the crew with an evaluation of the flight characteristics and performance of this model.

Since then, this fly-by-wire-equipped airplane has redefined the standards of military airlift, performing a wide range of missions in the most demanding conditions, while achieving remarkable success in global defense markets.

In October 2018, the KC-390 Millennium achieved two additional significant milestones: the first flight of the first series-produced aircraft and the receipt of the Type Certificate from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). This certification marked a critical milestone towards achieving military certification and demonstrated the aircraft's advanced technological level.

Between August and September 2019, the signing of the contract with Portugal for the acquisition of five KC-390 multi-mission aircraft and the delivery of the first unit to the Brazilian Air Force marked additional important chapters in the KC-390 Millennium's success story.

In 2020 Hungary joined the ranks of countries that selected it to enhance their defense capabilities with Embraer’s state-of-the-art aircraft.

In 2022, the Netherlands announced its choice for the Millennium. In 2023, Austria, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea also selected the KC-390, confirming its success. In 2024, Sweden, Slovakia and an Undisclosed Customer have also opted for this airplane.

Since entering operation with the Brazilian Air Force in 2019, the Portuguese Air Force in 2023, and, most recently the Hungarian Air Force in 2024, the KC-390 has proven its capability, reliability, and performance. The current fleet of 10 operational units –seven with the Brazilian Air Force, two with the Portuguese Air Force and one with the Hungarian Air Force- has accumulated over 16,300 flight hours.

The KC-390 can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military transport aircraft and flies faster (470 knots) and farther, being capable of performing a wide range of missions (transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, air-to-air refueling both as a tanker and a receiver, firefighting and humanitarian activities), operating on temporary or unpaved runways, such as packed earth, soil and gravel.

Below, the video and a photo gallery.