On 13 April, the first Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft arrived in Hungary. With the purchase of the state of art Brazilian aircraft, the Hungarian Defence Forces will gain a new capability in military air transport.
On 13 April, the Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft for the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) landed in Hungary accompanied by two Gripen fighters. According to a contract signed in 2020 between the Hungarian government and Brazilian company Embraer, the Hungarian Defence Forces will acquire two KC-390 aircrafts, which are scheduled to arrive in the country at the end of 2024 and next year. One of the aircrafts is now staying in the Kecskemét airbase for three weeks, in the final phase of the testing period. During this time, in addition to training, special NATO communication equipment will be installed and validated, and then the aircraft will return to Brazil to complete the work.
With a wingspan of 34 metres, a length of more than 35 metres and a speed of 800 kilometres per hour, the 23,600-kilogram Embraer aircraft can travel up to 6,019 kilometres on a single charge and has a cruising altitude of up to 8,000 metres. The special design of the aircraft makes it suitable for take-off and landing in poor terrain conditions outside a paved airfield, as well as for airborne operations.
The aircraft can accommodate up to eighty equipped soldiers or sixty paratroopers, as well as medical beds for the care of patients and wounded requiring critical care. Capable of carrying payloads of up to 26 tonnes, the aircraft is also suitable for precision aerial cargo drops and aerial refuelling. Since the JAS 39 Gripen fighters of the HDF are capable of aerial refuelling, the Hungarian army can now make much better use of this capability.
The KC-390s, which are among the most modern transport aircrafts in the world, will replace the AN-26 military aircrafts of the HDF.
Zsolt Kutnyánszky, Minister of State for Defence Policy, Force Development and Defence Industry of the Ministry of Defence, said that the Hungarian Defence Forces are going through a period of transformation and technical renewal, and thanks to the ongoing Force Development Programme (Zrínyi 2026), the HDF is being equipped with the most modern technology. In this programme,
the modernisation of the air defence and air force is a top priority.
A key part of the modernisation of the air force is the development of air transport to improve mobility. The use of military transport aircrafts with a large transport capacity is important not only for the speed of logistical support, but also for active roles in missions and the rapid movement of personnel and supplies, the minister added.
The new aircraft will also represent a niche development for NATO forces in the region. Hungary is the second European country and NATO member state after Portugal to opt for the KC-390. Austria, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands are also among the potential buyers of the Brazilian aircraft.
While the final phase of the air tests is now ongoing in Hungary, the training of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ experts is already underway at the EMBRAER training centre, so that the HDF can be prepared to receive the technology that will arrive later this year.
