Sweden selects Embraer C-390 transport aircraft, as Brazil eyes more Gripens

WASHINGTON — Sweden has selected the Brazilian-made C-390 for its next military transport aircraft, creating another strong defense industrial tie between the two nations.

Stockholm announced it was signing a letter of intent over the weekend to purchase the C-390, produced by Embraer, which will open the way for negotiations to begin. Sweden joins Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands and Portugal as European operators of the Millennium, which has also been purchased by South Korea and, of course, home country Brazil.

Quantities and cost were not disclosed in the announcement. Sweden currently operates six Lockheed Martin-made C-130H aircraft, and a one-for-one replacement would make sense given Sweden’s military needs and its recent membership in NATO.

Every win for the C-390 is important, but adding another NATO nation to its user base is a particularly large victory for Embraer as the company seeks to expand its global footprint — and, it hopes, break into the lucrative US market.

As Breaking Defense first reported, Embraer and US-based L3Harris are no long working together to market the tanker variant of the 390 to the US Air Force. However, Bosco da Costa Jr., the company’s defense chief, said in an interview that Embraer is still pursuing sales to the Air Force, positioning the Millennium as a multi-mission aircraft able to fill multiple needs.

“You can use this airplane to do air-to-air refueling, but in some hours, you could do the plane to do transport, to do search and rescue, to do other types of missions, not necessarily only for air-to-air refueling,” he told Breaking Defense last month. “That is an advantage.”

The letter of intent was signed on Saturday by Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Brazil’s Minister of Defense José Múcio. A Swedish announcement of the LOI was also accompanied by a statement that Brazil plans to increase its buy of Jas 30 Gripen fighters by 25 percent.

Brazil currently has 36 Gripens on order, so a 25 percent increase would mean nine additional fighters. Embraer and Saab have a joint production agreement, with Gripens being produced in-country in Brazil as part of the 2014 decision to purchase the jets.

“Aerospace cooperation is important to both Sweden and Brazil. The new letter of intent provides a basis for us to further deepen this cooperation,” Jonson said in a statement.