First KC-390 Millennium lands in Hungary with official handover pending
Hungary will receive two Embraer KC-390 Millennium transport/tanker aircraft. (Photo: Hungarian Defence Forces)
The first Embraer KC-390 will undergo testing before an official handover to the Hungarian Air Force could take place.
The first Embraer KC-390 Millenium multi-mission transport and tanker aircraft has landed at the Hungarian Air Force’s (HuAF’s) base in Kecskemét, central Hungary.
Hungarian minister for defence Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the testing schedule, which began after the aircraft’s first take-off on February 8, 2024, has entered its final phase, with ground and air tests being carried out in the final stages of the production process.
The current testing phase will involve the installation and validation of NATO’s special communications equipment. Following this, the minister said, the aircraft would return to Brazil to complete the work. He added that the official handover and its registration would take place from September to November 2024.
Hungary was the second European nation to sign for the Brazilian aircraft after Portugal in 2020. Two KC-390s will be supplied to Hungary, with deliveries initially scheduled between 2023 and 2024 for the first aircraft. The second unit was scheduled to begin production in December 2022 and was expected to be delivered by the end of 2024.
Earlier this year, Hungary announced it would also boost its Gripen JAS 39C/D fleet to 18 after Saab signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for four additional Gripen JAS 39C fighters for the HuAF.
Capable of being refuelled in-flight and quickly configured as a tanker, Hungary will be able to conduct air-to-air refuelling with its future KC-390s and its Gripen fighters.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![France air focus: Lower-cost sovereign capabilities propel $11.38 billion UAV market]()
France air focus: Lower-cost sovereign capabilities propel $11.38 billion UAV market
France is estimated to be Europe’s second-highest spender on UAVs, with a market focused on domestic production, loitering munitions and lower-cost sovereign systems. Its spending profile highlights substantial future market opportunities while reflecting broader industry trends.
-
![North American appetite for European AEW&C aircraft bolstered as Canada picks GlobalEye]()
North American appetite for European AEW&C aircraft bolstered as Canada picks GlobalEye
Canada’s selection of Saab’s GlobalEye to fulfil its airborne early warning requirements draws the country closer to European industry over American-made platforms, snubbing Boeing and L3Harris.
-
![Hezbollah’s fibre-optic drones expose Israel’s counter-UAV gap in southern Lebanon]()
Hezbollah’s fibre-optic drones expose Israel’s counter-UAV gap in southern Lebanon
Israel is working to close a counter-drone capability gap exposed by Hezbollah's fibre-optic systems, drawing on battlefield lessons from Ukraine to replace improvised defences with targeted solutions.
-
![US Air Force to fast-track capability development for GPS-denied operations]()
US Air Force to fast-track capability development for GPS-denied operations
Over the next 18 months, the air force's research facility intends to accelerate the progress of resilient, autonomous solutions to support aircraft and helicopter deployments in DDIL overland and over-the-water scenarios.
