Sweden orders four Embraer C-390 airlifters to join Europe’s joint transport fleet
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Sweden has signed for four Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft under a European framework with the Netherlands and Austria. The deal boosts NATO airlift capacity and marks Sweden’s full transition from its aging C-130H fleet to modern jet-powered airlifters.
Embraer confirmed on 6 October 2025 that Sweden signed for four C-390 Millennium airlifters as part of a joint European procurement framework that also includes seven options, with the announcement made at Uppsala Air Base alongside senior Swedish and allied officials. The deal formalizes Stockholm’s transition away from its aging TP 84 C-130H fleet and locks in production slots within a trilateral partnership with the Netherlands and Austria. Embraer highlights the C-390’s 26-ton payload, 470-knot top speed, and a mission capability rate above 90 percent, a performance profile designed for rapid movement of troops, vehicles, and medical kits across Europe’s dispersed operating bases. The Millennium can be fitted with underwing pods for air-to-air refueling, designated KC-390 in tanker configuration.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Embraer C-390 Millennium is a twin-engine jet-powered tactical airlifter capable of carrying up to 26 tons of cargo at speeds up to 470 knots. It can operate from short or semi-prepared runways, perform airdrops, medical evacuations, and air-to-air refueling missions, offering high reliability, rapid turnaround, and full interoperability with NATO logistics standards (Picture source: Embraer).
At the heart of the aircraft are two IAE V2500 E5 turbofans rated at roughly 31,000 pounds of thrust each, a commercial-derivative engine choice that brings a global logistics footprint, cockpit-based maintenance interfaces, and favorable fuel burn. This powerplant, originally certified for the type in 2014 and entering service in 2018, gives the C-390 jet-class climb and cruise performance that shortens mission times when compared with legacy turboprop transports.
The Millennium’s cargo system is built around a tall, wide, unobstructed bay optimized for NATO-standard 463L pallets, with fast changeover from roller to flat floor. The aircraft supports low and high altitude airdrop, gravity or extraction methods, and is cleared for operations from semi-prepared surfaces, including compacted earth and gravel. Embraer states the platform has demonstrated mission completion rates above 99 percent in service with Brazil, Portugal, and Hungary, a noteworthy metric for an airframe intended to surge during crises.
Refueling and self-protection options expand the Swedish use case. Equipped with wing pods, the KC-390 variant has conducted tanker and receiver trials, using a Cobham system tailored to the jet’s higher transfer speeds. A modern defensive suite and battle management avionics, integrated with continuous health monitoring, support operations in contested airspace while keeping through-life support manageable for air forces that value availability over bespoke customization.
The C-390 lifts more per sortie than the TP 84, moves it faster, and does so with a jet’s time-on-station advantage, compressing the logistics timelines that underpin brigade-level deployments and Arctic sustainment. Humanitarian and aeromedical modules benefit from the bay’s volume and environmental control, while tanker fit allows Sweden to top off Gripen E patrols or allied aircraft during surge periods, a force multiplier for Nordic air policing and rapid reinforcement across the Baltic region.
The order is a signal of Sweden’s rapid integration into NATO’s logistics web after joining the Alliance in March 2024. Interoperability with Dutch and Austrian C-390 fleets and the spread of a common training and sustainment ecosystem point to a European center of gravity forming around the type, easing pooled operations and air bridge management from the High North to the Black Sea. Stockholm’s replacement of its 1960s-era Hercules fleet addresses a national readiness gap as demand for airlift surges across Europe, and aligns with NATO planning that prizes mobility, survivable basing, and fast reinforcement cycles in any Baltic or Arctic contingency.
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Sweden has signed for four Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft under a European framework with the Netherlands and Austria. The deal boosts NATO airlift capacity and marks Sweden’s full transition from its aging C-130H fleet to modern jet-powered airlifters.
Embraer confirmed on 6 October 2025 that Sweden signed for four C-390 Millennium airlifters as part of a joint European procurement framework that also includes seven options, with the announcement made at Uppsala Air Base alongside senior Swedish and allied officials. The deal formalizes Stockholm’s transition away from its aging TP 84 C-130H fleet and locks in production slots within a trilateral partnership with the Netherlands and Austria. Embraer highlights the C-390’s 26-ton payload, 470-knot top speed, and a mission capability rate above 90 percent, a performance profile designed for rapid movement of troops, vehicles, and medical kits across Europe’s dispersed operating bases. The Millennium can be fitted with underwing pods for air-to-air refueling, designated KC-390 in tanker configuration.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Embraer C-390 Millennium is a twin-engine jet-powered tactical airlifter capable of carrying up to 26 tons of cargo at speeds up to 470 knots. It can operate from short or semi-prepared runways, perform airdrops, medical evacuations, and air-to-air refueling missions, offering high reliability, rapid turnaround, and full interoperability with NATO logistics standards (Picture source: Embraer).
At the heart of the aircraft are two IAE V2500 E5 turbofans rated at roughly 31,000 pounds of thrust each, a commercial-derivative engine choice that brings a global logistics footprint, cockpit-based maintenance interfaces, and favorable fuel burn. This powerplant, originally certified for the type in 2014 and entering service in 2018, gives the C-390 jet-class climb and cruise performance that shortens mission times when compared with legacy turboprop transports.
The Millennium’s cargo system is built around a tall, wide, unobstructed bay optimized for NATO-standard 463L pallets, with fast changeover from roller to flat floor. The aircraft supports low and high altitude airdrop, gravity or extraction methods, and is cleared for operations from semi-prepared surfaces, including compacted earth and gravel. Embraer states the platform has demonstrated mission completion rates above 99 percent in service with Brazil, Portugal, and Hungary, a noteworthy metric for an airframe intended to surge during crises.
Refueling and self-protection options expand the Swedish use case. Equipped with wing pods, the KC-390 variant has conducted tanker and receiver trials, using a Cobham system tailored to the jet’s higher transfer speeds. A modern defensive suite and battle management avionics, integrated with continuous health monitoring, support operations in contested airspace while keeping through-life support manageable for air forces that value availability over bespoke customization.
The C-390 lifts more per sortie than the TP 84, moves it faster, and does so with a jet’s time-on-station advantage, compressing the logistics timelines that underpin brigade-level deployments and Arctic sustainment. Humanitarian and aeromedical modules benefit from the bay’s volume and environmental control, while tanker fit allows Sweden to top off Gripen E patrols or allied aircraft during surge periods, a force multiplier for Nordic air policing and rapid reinforcement across the Baltic region.
The order is a signal of Sweden’s rapid integration into NATO’s logistics web after joining the Alliance in March 2024. Interoperability with Dutch and Austrian C-390 fleets and the spread of a common training and sustainment ecosystem point to a European center of gravity forming around the type, easing pooled operations and air bridge management from the High North to the Black Sea. Stockholm’s replacement of its 1960s-era Hercules fleet addresses a national readiness gap as demand for airlift surges across Europe, and aligns with NATO planning that prizes mobility, survivable basing, and fast reinforcement cycles in any Baltic or Arctic contingency.
