An C-390 Millennium operating from an unpaved runway | Photo: Embraer
Embraer executives are in India meeting Indian industry to scout for industrial partners for its bid and brief IAF officials on the aircraft. In a briefing in Delhi on Monday, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, João Bosco da Costa Junior told media, “We have invested a lot of time and resources in the evaluation process. What would be the perfect partner for us in this journey here? I think it’s too early to name it. But our team was here this week. And we’ll be here in the coming days looking for companies and capabilities and weighing what would be the best solution to us. And we expect to have this announcement about the partner here, very fast. Because we would like to be set to start working on the case for the Indian Air Force.”
Indian Air Force Requirement
The IAF’s MTA acquisition is still at the stage of Request for Information (RFI), in which they’ve asked potential aircraft manufacturers for proposals on terms for 40, 60 and 80 aircraft, separately. Three manufacturers, Lockheed Martin, Airbus and Embraer are in the fray.
Lockheed Martin’s offer is for the C-130J Super Hercules airlifter, 12 of which are already in service in the IAF and can carry around 20 tons. Airbus is offering the A400M airlifter for the IAF’s requirement, which exceeds the payload requirement at 37 tons.
Why not more Hercs?
Ordinarily per conventional wisdom, more of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules would be considered a safe choice that might preclude consideration of other options. Even France, a partner country on the A400M program, ordered C-130J aircraft to shore up airlift capabilities.
The main reason to shop around before deciding would be the clue in the name, Millennium, given to the C-390. “I think the C-130 and the A400 are very good airplanes. But the C-390 is the only 21st century airplane. We bring in these airplanes, all the state-of-the-art technology and all the new features, a new concept, a new index of operation and availability, and an easy configuration to change from one mission to another mission,” said da Costa.
“We are not saying that our platform is a proven platform like the C-130 because they are from ’50s. In the world of development from the ’50s, they have been in operation for a long, long time. So they are in another position from an age perspective. We are the newer airplane. We believe that an airplane could deliver more,” he added.
“I think any leader wants to project the air force into the future. We are looking to 30, 40 years into the future. C-130 is an amazing platform as it was, but it was addressing the operational requirements and the technology and the missions of a different era. How are you going to project your air force into the future? Addressing the new operational challenges, the new requirements, interoperability, multi-domain operations, need to project it into the future? And the C-390 is bringing that, projecting the Indian Air Force potentially into the future by operating with a new system that brings more capability, more efficiency, more availability and lower life-cycle costs,” said Chief Commercial Officer of Embraer Defense & Security, Frederico Antonio Cima de Azevedo Lemos.
A Brazilian Air Force C-390 Millennium taking off | Photo: Embraer
Chief Marketing Officer of Embraer Defense & Security, Marcio Monteiro explained further, “I think some nations start to realize that maybe they have to get some courage to benefit from it. Should I remain with the status quo, or should I go for something new? Some of these nations are leading the way. And that’s why we are here. Because we believe India will soon realize that’s the way of the future in terms of this type of platform. We have a good case, not only in terms of capability, but also in ways of willing to do everything that is needed and is required, to do a partnership. And it’s also a great moment for our nations to join forces.”
Both Portugal and the Netherlands have operated the C-130 and are now purchasing the Embraer C-390.
What about the A400M?
The Brazilian aircraft might also be in a position to score over the Airbus A400M in a different way. Unlike the C-130J and the A400M, which are turbo-prop aircraft, Embraer’s C-390 is powered by a turbo-fan engine. According to de Azevedos Lemos, “It’s much faster than the turbo-props. So it’s much more productive. We can do more missions with the same amount of aircraft.”
The C-390 also achieved Full Operational Capability or Final Operational Clearance (FOC) in March this year, with de Azevedo Lemos saying, “We have delivered this first airplane with full operational capability with all the missions for which it was designed, being certified.”
The A400M still has nagging technical problems that need to be resolved before it can achieve FOC.
According to de Azevedo Lemos, the C-390 is fully capable of refueling helicopters as well as facilitating jumps by paratroops from the side doors, simultaneously, on the aircraft, something the A400M has struggled with because of the airflow from the turbo-prop engines. As mentioned above, even France, a partner country on the A400M program, ordered C-130J aircraft to shore up airlift capabilities. “You have the possibility of jumping from the airplane simultaneously or alternatively from the side doors,” he said, adding, “Being a jet helps the pilots on fast jets to refuel. Because if you have a slower plane, you need to slow down the flight of jets, and it’s more difficult to control, more difficult to do this mission. So can you fuel high and fast with the fast jets. And something very different from a turbo-prop is that the stream of the jet engines is very concentrated and inboard. And the refuelling pods are outboard. So different from a turbo-prop that has big propellers and makes a lot of mess in the air behind the aircraft, it’s easier for the helicopters to approach and stay stable in the air.”
Da Costa added, “We entered into service with this airplane in 2019 and we received the FOC certification beginning of this year. And we believe that it’s one more element to bring trust to the air force and the Indian government that this case could be a very good case.”
How much production in India?
There is a another potential advantage that might underscore a greater willingness on the part of Embraer to make a more comprehensive offer to the Indian Air Force.
So far, the orders for the relatively new C-390 have totalled 26 aircraft, with an order for five aircraft currently being negotiated by the Netherlands. The size of an Indian order would be far more compelling for Embraer than for the other two manufacturers, to commit to vastly greater production of the aircraft in India. Embraer anticipates a global requirement of over 300 C-390 aircraft, according to da Costa. “On the 40-size, it’s an excellent size, but beyond the size, the connection between India is very important and strategic for Embraer. So, 40 is a great number, 80 is a great number, but the connection with India and the strategic approach for India, the push that we are receiving from Embraer is also very important,” said de Azevedo Lemos.
Given the expected size of the order, the IAF requirement will include significant aircraft production in India. While Lockheed Martin does produce parts of the C-130J with its partner Tata in India, it would be a significantly greater exercise to contemplate setting up a Final Assembly Line for the aircraft in India. And while Airbus has set up a line in India for the production of the smaller C-295 transport aircraft, it is not clear to what extent the European aircraft manufacturer could contemplate manufacturing of the A400M in India, considering there is still plenty of scope for orders of the aircraft from the original partner countries.
This is exactly what da Costa told media they were open to considering. “We are exploring all the possibilities. We are able to do whatever is needed to win this campaign. We would like to be very aggressive in this campaign. If needed, to have a final assembly, an MRO, to have a training centre — we are going to do whatever is needed to have the best case with the air force,” he said.
Cockpit view of the C-390 Millennium | Photo: Embraer
C-390 capability and performance
The C-130J and A400M with their turbo-props are tactical airlifters designed for operating in austere conditions to get troops and equipment in and out of awful places. “The C-390 is the only jet-powered aircraft in this category, and we see a lot of value for that with the productivity that it brings. It is the only multi-mission airplane that was developed and comes out of production line with all the capabilities that we have described,” said de Azevedo Lemos, adding, “The C-390 is able to operate on unprepared, damaged runaways, in ground on, in ice, in sand. It has eight wheels on the landing gear. This means that it distributes the load better, so it’s able to land on soft terrain. And this is good in terms of operation for the airplane, but also good for those runways that don’t get damaged and can continue to be operated even after landings of the C-390. And it was developed to operate in hot and humid conditions, and you know this type of climate very well. We know it very well, mostly in Brazil. Hot and humid, it’s the type of environment that we have. Very good AC to maintain comfort on board, but also in more austere conditions like Arctic or Antarctic conditions,” explained de Azevedo Lemos.
According to him, the C-390 aircraft in the Brazilian Air Force have been flying for four years and ‘are doing 80 percent availability and more than 99 percent mission completion.’ “You do not see these types of availability in any airplane in this category already operating in the market,” he added.
