Slovakia eyes C-390 Millennium aircraft purchase in early 2025
A growing list of NATO nations have already opted for the C-390 Millennium aircraft and Slovakia is set to be next. (Photo: Embraer)
Embraer has announced Slovakia’s intention to purchase three C-390 Millennium transport aircraft in January 2025, following a visit to Brazil by the Slovak Minister of Defence.
The Slovak MoD also signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Brazilian MoD during the visit, signalling efforts for deeper industrial cooperation between the two countries.
President and CEO of Embraer defence and security, Bosco da Costa Junior said: “We are confident that the C-390 is the most suitable aircraft to meet the needs of the Slovak Air Force.”
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According to Embraer, the Slovak MoD acknowledged that the C-390 Millennium was good fit for Slovakia’s future military transport requirements. At present, the Slovak Air Force operates the Czech L-410 aircraft and the C-27J, an Italian medium transport aircraft, the latter of which was delivered in 2017 and 2018.
The purchase, should it go ahead, would make Slovakia the sixth NATO nation to add Embraer’s multi-mission aircraft to its fleet. It will join other nations, including Portugal and Hungary where the C-390 is already in operation, to other orders from Czech Republic, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Embraer previously announced that it expected the annual C-390 production to reach 12 aircraft by 2030. According to Defence Insight, it is estimated that the aircraft has a flyaway cost of around US$102 million.
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