Overview
- The inaugural flight occurred at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility near São Paulo, Brazil.
- Embraer says the aircraft will undergo integration of systems tailored to South Korean requirements, with no delivery date yet announced.
- South Korea selected the C-390 in December 2023 under the LTA-II program, opting for three aircraft in a $473 million deal over the C-130J-30 and A400M.
- The C-390 is rated for up to 26 tonnes of payload and roughly 470 knots cruise speed, with missions spanning airlift, airdrop, medevac, SAR, firefighting, and humanitarian relief; a KC-390 configuration enables air-to-air refueling.
- ROKAF becomes the type’s first Asian operator, joining a customer list that Embraer says now includes 11 countries.