An Embraer rendering shows the C-390 with Austrian Air Force markings.
Austria has become the latest European nation to adopt Embraer’s C-390 airlifter for its future air transport needs.
Although there was no formal call to tender, Vienna selected the Brazilian twin-jet aircraft over Lockheed Martin’s C-130J to replace its aging trio of early-model C-130K Hercules that were originally acquired second-hand from the UK Royal Air Force.
Austrian officials said the C-390 was the only aircraft in the 20 metric ton payload class that met its requirements, including the ability to carry a Pandur wheeled armored personnel carrier with its weapon station fitted.
Announcing the decision on Sept. 20, Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said the selection was a “big step towards a modern army and thus more security for the Austrian population.”
Vienna is to purchase three aircraft with options for a single additional aircraft. Austria is also seeking cooperation with the Netherlands which has likewise selected the C-390 as a C-130 replacement.
Contracts are expected to be finalized in 2024 and Austrian officials are seeking deliveries around 2026-27. Austria expects to pay between €130 million ($139 million) and €150 million per aircraft.
The decision takes the number of European nations to order the aircraft to four. Austria joins Hungary and Portugal as well as the aforementioned Netherlands.
In a statement published on its website, Embraer said it was honored to be selected by Austria and said it was ready to support the country’s defense ministry and air force in meeting “the demanding requirements of their acquisition process.”
The acquisition is part of the non-militarily aligned nation’s plans to modernize its armed forces in the face of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Vienna has already taken steps to acquire new fleets of light and medium helicopters and plans to purchase ground-based air defenses and a new jet trainer fleet.
The potential acquisition of a fourth C-390 follows Austria's experience with the C-130K which showed that even with three aircraft it was not always possible to have an aircraft available.
Embraer has shown, however, that the C-390 is enjoying high availability for the Brazilian Air Force with availability and dispatch reliability figures more akin to those seen in commercial aviation.
The OEM’s growing success in Europe may also begin to prompt questions about the viability of Europe’s plans for a new generation medium airlifter in the 20-ton payload class being proposed through the Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo (FMTC) Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project led by France and supported by Germany, Spain, and Sweden. Airbus is leading a consortium of industry partners funded by the European Defense Funds’ €90 million Future Air System for European Tactical Transportation (FASETT) study to look at options for such a platform.
Austria was one of several nations previously named by the Brazilian Air Force as a potential export customer for the aircraft. Others include the Czech Republic, Egypt, India and Sweden. In the case of Sweden, Stockholm has announced plans to accelerate a buy of new airlifters in its latest budget documents without disclosing the type.
