Embraer rolls out KC-390 military transport aircraft in Brazil amid huge fanfare

The first completed prototype of the Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft 
rolled out of the company’s Gavião Peixoto, Brazil, production facility on 21 October.

Embraer can now begin ground testing in preparation for first flight, which the
 company maintains will occur before the end of the year. The example is the first of 
two that will be used for ground and flight testing and in the certification process.

The aircraft was developed in concert with the Brazilian Air Force, which is 
contracted to receive at least 28 of the type starting in 2016. Another five
 nations have signed letters of intent to purchase a total 32 additional KC-390s.

Saab nears Gripen contract with Brazil

    

Saab Gripen

      Saab is on track to sign a contract with Brazil to provide its air force with
 the Gripen NG multirole fighter, following the nation's selection of the type for
 a 36-aircraft purchase in December 2013.

Speaking on 23 October, chief executive Håkan Buskhe said an agreement 
should be signed “in the near future”.

“The negotiations with Brazil regarding Gripen NG (Gripen E/F) move forward
 according to plan, and the ambition is to reach an agreement in the near future,”
 Buskhe states, as part of the Swedish company's year-to-date financial results 
release.

On 18 December 2013, Brazilian defence minister Celso Amorim and air force 
commander Gen Juniti Saito declared Saab the winner of the F-X2 fighter contest. 
It was also announced that the negotiation phase would take 10-12 months to complete.

The acquisition will cost some $4.5 billion, with the purchased aircraft to 
replace retired Dassault Mirage 2000C fighters and a number of modernised
 Northrop F-5EMs. Deliveries are expected to start 48 months after the contract 
is signed, and will eventually reach a rate of 12 aircraft per year.

An option to supply Brazil a bridging fleet of existing Swedish air force
 Gripen C/Ds could also be included in the deal, following Brasília’s retirement of
 its Mirage 2000C/Ds at the end of 2013 and the need for an interim capability
 until the new-build Gripens enter service.

In July, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Saab and 
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, whose absence had been noted last December 
when the Gripen selection was announced. “This is thought to further strengthen
 Gripen’s position in the market,” Buskhe says.

Brazil’s Gripens will be assembled at Embraer’s military factory and flight test 
centre in Gavião Peixoto, the company's chief executive Frederico Curado said
 in July.

Embraer will also play a role in developing the two-seat version of the Gripen 
NG, which would mark its first significant effort in designing and producing
 a new supersonic aircraft. 

                                                                                                                    Flightglobal

Russia Close to Ink Air Defense Deal With Brazil – Minister

Operational 96K6 Pantsir S1 on parade

Russia and Brazil are at the final stages of talks on the delivery of Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems to the Latin American country, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

A Russian delegation, led by Shoigu, visited Brazil to discuss prospects of bilateral defense and space cooperation, including the sales of Pansir-S1 and Igla missile systems, during the Latin American tour on October 14-17.

“We are moving toward the agreement on Pantsir systems…but drafting the final document needs time,” Shoigu told reporters in Moscow on Saturday.


The Pantsir-S1, produced by Russia’s KBP, is a gun-missile system combining a wheeled vehicle mounting a fire-control radar and electro-optical sensor, two 30-mm cannons and up to 12 57E6 radio-command guided short-range missiles, and is designed to take on a variety of targets flying at low altitudes.

Brazilian military officials believe that the Pansir-S1 could become a key element of air defenses during the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup and Summer Olympics 2016 in Brazil.

The potential Brazilian deal, which includes the purchase of three Pantsir-S1 batteries (up to 18 units), is estimated at $1 billion, according to Russia’s Kommersant business daily.

Embraer expects first operational KC-390 buyer in 2014

Embraer KC 390

Embraer expects to sign the first firm order for the KC-390 airlifter and tanker in the first quarter of 2014, as the pace of development and testing accelerates 20 months ahead of the scheduled first flight milestone.

"We will fly this aircraft at the end of next year, which is like saying, tomorrow - it's so close, but we'll do it," says Paulo Gastão Silva, Embraer's KC-390 programme director.

Embraer is already on contract to build the first two KC-390 prototypes for the flight test programme. Six countries have signed commitments to buy 60 more of the twinjets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Portugal.