The Dutch Ministry of Defense signed the contract today for the acquisition of nine Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft during a ceremony at the Farnborough Airshow. As part of the project 'Replacement of Tactical Airlift Capacity', the contract is a joint purchase, in cooperation with Austria – five aircraft for the Royal Netherlands Air Force and four aircraft for the Austrian Air Force.
With this joint order, both countries aim at increasing their ability to rapidly deploy or evacuate equipment and personnel worldwide, even under difficult operational conditions. The enhanced tactical airlift capacity provided by the C-390 increases operational flexibility and responsiveness, provides logistical support in various missions and operations, and enables a wide range of humanitarian and medical tasks.
The joint purchase will also allow both nations – as well as current and future operators – to cooperate and benefit from synergies in areas like training, logistics and future growth of the platform, together with the other C-390 operators in NATO nations. The C-390 Millennium provides maximum operational readiness enabling interoperability and connectivity in networked environments and multiple domains.
The C-390 will improve operational capacity by offering better performance, greater reliability, and higher transport capacity. Additionally, the choice for the C-390 ensures that the Royal Dutch and Austrian Air Forces are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to meet the mission demands of the future.
"It is great that we can sign this agreement for both Austria as the Netherlands. I'm happy to see that we can buy these planes with the same specifications. This is a good example of collaboration in Europe between countries. The constructive support of Embraer has played a crucial role in the successful realization of this agreement. We appreciate the contribution of Embraer and look forward to a successful cooperation", said Vice-Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, National Armaments Director of the Netherlands.
