Embraer pitches KC-390 to US Air Force as multi-mission tanker

Embraer has restarted its campaign to secure a US Air Force order for the KC-390, marketing the twin-engine transport as a combined tanker and airlift asset. The Brazilian manufacturer calls the proposal the "Multi-Mission Airlift and Tanker".

Frederico Lemos, chief commercial officer for Embraer Defense & Security, said the company wants to offer the KC-390 to the US Air Force as a new capability and is confident it would meet the service's operational requirements, according to the company.

The aircraft can carry out both aerial refuelling and tactical transport, which Embraer argues would let the US Air Force combine the two roles on one platform. The company positions the KC-390 as a supplement to the Boeing KC-46 rather than a substitute for it.

Embraer has pursued a US order for the type for several years, previously describing it as an "agile tanker" and emphasising its ability to use rough runways and its smaller size compared with the US Air Force's larger Boeing KC-135 and KC-46 tankers.

The company is working with Northrop Grumman to develop a boom system for the KC-390, matching the refuelling method the US Air Force prefers. KC-390s can currently refuel other aircraft only through a probe-and-drogue system, which limits which aircraft can receive fuel from it.

The renewed pitch comes as the US Air Force reviews its tanker modernisation plans, a process that has included dropping earlier plans for a stealthy next-generation refuelling aircraft.

Marc Ayala, who leads Embraer's North American defence programmes and previously flew Lockheed Martin C-130s for the US Air Force, said demand for refuelling capacity is rising. He described tankers as foundational to capabilities the service intends to field in the coming years, including autonomous collaborative combat aircraft and the sixth-generation Boeing F-47 air superiority fighter, according to the company.