The Air Force announced that a new aircraft arrived today at Air Base No. 11 in Beja, enhancing the operational capabilities of Squadron 506, known as “Rhinoceroses.”
“Following a phase of acceptance flights conducted at Embraer’s facilities in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil, the new KC-390, marked with tail number 26903, landed in Beja at 10 a.m. after a 12-hour flight,” the statement read.
In 2019, Portugal agreed to purchase five KC-390 aircraft and a simulator from the Brazilian company Embraer to replace the Hercules C-130 fleet.
Recently, the Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, announced plans to purchase a sixth KC-390 from Embraer for the Air Force, acquire a second simulator, and sell 10 other aircraft to NATO countries.
Modifications were made to the aircraft to meet the requirements set by alliances such as NATO, the United Nations, and the European Union, allowing other countries to purchase the aircraft, with a profit for the Portuguese state estimated at around 10 million euros per aircraft.
Portugal will also host the European training center for KC-390 pilots at the Beja airbase.
The KC-390 is a versatile military transport aircraft capable of firefighting, search and rescue operations, medical evacuations, and humanitarian missions.
“This milestone marks another step in the continued investment in new and more modern capabilities of the Air Force, significantly contributing to the accomplishment of missions domestically and internationally,” the statement concluded.
