The National Defence Ministry of Lithuania has announced in a statement that Embraer’s C-390 Millennium has been selected as the country's next-generation military transport aircraft. This strategic decision, paving the way for the acquisition of three C-390s, represents a significant step in strengthening Lithuania's operational readiness and interoperability with other NATO members. The agreement will also include an industrial cooperation framework, offering opportunities in MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), component co-production, and collaborations with research institutes.

“We have carefully studied the various types of military transport aircraft available on the market, and our evaluation clearly showed that the C-390 Millennium is the platform best suited to meet the national military operational requirements. Therefore, Lithuania has chosen Embraer to initiate further negotiations and expects to finalize the acquisition contract in the coming months", stated Loreta Maskaliovienė, Deputy Minister of National Defence of Lithuania.

The C-390 Millennium is a next-generation aircraft designed to operate in austere environments and challenging conditions, offering superior speed, increased payload capacity, and mission flexibility. Its selection aligns Lithuania with a growing number of European and NATO allies – including Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands (see AVIONEWS), Austria, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Slovakia – that have also chosen the C-390 to modernize their air forces. By adopting the C-390 Millennium, Lithuania will significantly enhance its operational capabilities while benefiting from the existing European ecosystem and synergies in support and training. Since entering service with the Brazilian Air Force in 2019, followed by Portugal in 2023 and more recently Hungary in 2024, the C-390 Millennium has demonstrated its capabilities, reliability, and performance. The fleet currently in service has shown a mission availability rate of 93% and mission completion rates exceeding 99%.

The model can carry a greater payload (26 tonnes) compared to other medium-sized military transport aircraft and can fly faster (470 knots) and farther, capable of performing a wide range of missions, such as transporting and airdropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting, and humanitarian operations, operating from temporary or unpaved runways including dirt, sand, or gravel, according to the statement. The aircraft can be equipped with aerial refueling systems: designated as C-390, it has already demonstrated its aerial refueling capability both as a tanker and as a receiver, the latter by receiving fuel from another C-390 via pods installed under the wings.

For more information on the topic, see also the articles published by AVIONEWS 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.