GAVIAO PEIXOTO, Brazil,
May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- EMBRAER
S.A. (NYSE: ERJ; BM&FBOVESPA: EMBR3) held today the opening
ceremony of the final assembly line of the KC-390 military
transport. The event occurred at Embraer's plant in Gaviao Peixoto,
Sao Paulo, and was attended by
Brazil's President, Dilma Rousseff, the Governor of the State of Sao Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, and other
dignitaries.
On the occasion, Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force signed the
series production contract of the KC-390, thus marking the
beginning of a new phase of the project, which began to be
developed in 2009. The contract provides for the purchase of 28
aircraft over a period of ten years, with the first delivery
scheduled for the end of 2016. Besides the aircraft, the contract
provides for supplying a logistical support package, which includes
spare parts and maintenance. At a total value of R$ 7.2 billion, the contract still depends on
complementary documentation in order to go into effect, which is
expected to occur within 90 days. Only then, will Embraer formally
include it in its order book.
The KC-390 is a joint project of the Brazilian Air Force with
Embraer to develop and produce a tactical military transport and
aerial refueling airplane that is a significant advance in terms of
technology and innovation for the Brazilian aeronautics industry.
This is an aircraft designed to establish new standards in its
market category, with a lower operating cost and the flexibility to
perform a variety of missions: cargo and troop transport, cargo
deployment, aerial refueling, search and rescue, and combating
forest fires.
The airplane will be produced at the Gaviao Peixoto industrial
plant, in outstate Sao Paulo, in
facilities including more than 30,000 square meters of hangars,
where the first prototype is already in the structural assembly
phase. Final assembly is planned to begin in June.
"This is a historic day for the Brazilian Air Force," said the
Commander of Brazilian Air Force, Brigadier General Juniti Saito.
"The KC-390 is a project that was carefully specified to serve our
nation, in total alignment with the guidelines of the National
Defense Strategy, and it will represent a great leap in the
operating capacity of air transportation."
"We are very happy to achieve another great landmark in this
challenging project," said Jackson
Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense &
Security. "Few countries in the world can experience the pride of
operating aircraft that were specified, developed and manufactured
on their own soil, and once again, the partnership between the
Brazilian Air Force and Embraer is generating a product that
promises to be an outstanding worldwide success."
The contract for developing the KC-390 was signed in 2009.
Besides the order by the Brazilian Air Force, there are currently
intentions to purchase 32 aircraft by other countries.
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SOURCE EMBRAER S.A.