Northrop Grumman has emerged as a prospective new partner for Embraer as the Brazilian airframer advances the promotion of its C/KC-390 tactical transport/tanker to the US military.
“We are discussing with Northrop Grumman a potential partnership,” Embraer Defense & Security chief executive Bosco da Costa Junior tells FlightGlobal, while describing the process as “in an early stage”.
“Northrop is one of the companies that we have a very good relationship with in the US,” he notes. “They have a lot of capabilities, especially in system development and system integration, and they have some capabilities in air-to-air refuelling systems.”
Embraer had until late last year been exploring an ‘Agile Tanker’ development of its twinjet airlifter with L3Harris, with the pair eyeing a potential US Air Force requirement. A key focus of their activity was around the design and integration of a lightweight in-flight refuelling boom, since the KC-390’s current capability is provided via underwing hose and drogue refuelling pods.
That partnership was dissolved towards the end of last year, with Embraer subsequently attributing their divergence to “different priorities”.
Recent promotional activities by Embraer have included exhibiting a Brazilian air force KC-390 at multiple events in the USA, including visits to sites in Nevada, Florida and Maryland.
“We are doing our homework, to become a partner of the US government,” da Costa says. “The tour that happened in the US is a part of this strategy.”
Work has included “Demonstrating all of the flexibility and the capability of the airplane… and talking with several stakeholders in the private and government sectors,” he says.
“We know that it is not an easy journey, but we are knocking on all the doors. Embraer is in a serious way trying to become a defence player in the US, and with a serious plan to invest and open an assembly line in the US.”
The C/KC-390 already has a high enough volume of US-sourced content to comply with Washington’s Buy American Act regulations, but he notes: “We would like to become even more of an American solution for the US, and to create thousands of high-tech positions.”
In addition to Embraer’s profile-raising activities in the USA, da Costa also met US defense secretary Pete Hegseth while attending the recent Shangri-La Dialogue event in Singapore. “It was a good conversation,” he notes.
Embraer has so far delivered 10 examples of its twinjet, to launch user Brazil (7), plus export buyers Hungary (1) and Portugal (2), from a current sales total of 42.
