IDEX 2017: First KC-390 production aircraft en route
20th February 2017 - 14:00 by Damian Kemp in Abu Dhabi
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/mil-log/idex-2017-first-kc-390-production-aircraft-en-rout/
The first air-to-air refueling dry contact between Embraer's new KC-390 multi-mission medium transport aircraft and a jet fighter took place on 19 February.
The trial took place from Santa Cruz Air Force Base (AFB) in Brazil and involved a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) F-5 fighter aircraft.
The company is continuing certification and mission trials with its two prototype aircraft and as part of an effort to fulfill an order from the FAB has begun wing assembly for the first production aircraft and has begun work on the second production aircraft.
The company believes it will achieve initial operational capability in the second half of 2017 and deliver the first aircraft under the contract in the first half of 2018.
Almost 900 hours of flight testing has now been completed with the prototype aircraft. Static line and free jump paratrooper deployments have been conducted as well as cargo drops. There have been successful tests of refuelling hose stability with high and low speed drogue tests at 120kcas and Mach 0.78. The aircraft has been tested at Mach 0.8 and 36,000ft.
Upcoming tests are for crosswind and icing with the former to take place in southern Chile and the latter to begin at Elgin AFB in Miami where conditions for icing can be reproduced. There will also be testing of fuel, pressurisation and avionics systems as well as mission specific testing.
An aircraft has visited other parts of South America, Europe and the Middle East and been demonstrated to potential customers in these regions. One is expected to attend the Paris Air Show in June before travelling on to Asia.
Of particular focus is likely to be New Zealand which has a requirement to replace its transport and maritime patrol aircraft over the next decade and Embraer may offer the single platform for both roles. The company argues the maritime patrol role could be performed as 'plug and play' 'after minor adjustments to the aircraft's body and allow even modified aircraft to remain multirole.
Abraços