The Kingdom of Sweden acquired today four C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft from Embraer. The contract also includes seven additional purchase options, paving the way for future acquisitions by other European Nations.

This important milestone for defense in Europe is part of a broader trilateral partnership between Austria, Sweden, and the Netherlands, aimed at fostering joint procurement, interoperability, and long-term cooperation around the C-390 Millennium platform. The seven options signed under this framework reflect growing European interest in this next generation aircraft and a shared commitment to modernizing tactical airlift capabilities across the continent.

The ceremony took place at Uppsala Air Base, hosted by the Swedish Air Force Commander, Major General Jonas Wikman, and attended by Pål Jonson, Minister for Defence of Sweden, along with defense representatives from other C-390 operators such as the Netherlands, Brazil, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

With this acquisition, Sweden becomes another NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member to join the strategic partnership already established by the Netherlands and Austria, who collectively ordered nine C-390s in 2024.

Since entering operation with the Brazilian Air Force in 2019, the Portuguese Air Force in 2023 and, most recently with the Hungarian Air Force in 2024, the C-390 Millennium can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military transport aircraft and flies faster (470 knots) and farther, being capable of performing a wide range of missions, such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and humanitarian missions, operating on temporary or unpaved runways, such as packed earth, soil and gravel.

 The aircraft configured with air-to-air refueling equipment, with the designation KC-390, has already proven its aerial refueling capacity both as a tanker and as a receiver, in this case by receiving fuel from another model using pods installed under the wings.