An artist's impression of the KC-390/C-390 in Swedish markings after the country announced its selection of the type on 9 November 2024. (Embraer)
Sweden has selected the Embraer KC/C-390 Millennium aircraft to replace its ageing Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules fleet.
The Brazilian manufacturer announced the selection on 9 November, saying the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) is to become the latest European operator of the twin-jet tanker-transport aircraft after Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
“Sweden's acquisition of the [KC/]C-390 will not only bolster national defence, but also enhance interoperability with allied forces while benefiting from the synergies present in Europe in terms of training facilities, support, and logistics,” Embraer said.
The SwAF operates six C-130Hs (two of an original eight were mothballed in 2015), which are the oldest still flying in Europe, having been received from 1965. In 2017 the service decided against procuring a new transport aircraft type, opting instead to upgrade the C-130Hs. This mid-life upgrade (MLU) covered the aircraft's avionics and some other systems, but did not involve major structural work such as replacing the centre wing box. It was launched in 2020 and was supposed to maintain the C-130Hs in an operational condition through to the early 2030s.
However, in 2022 Sweden disclosed that it was to acquire surplus C-130Js from Italy instead. The first of six such aircraft were supposed to be delivered in 2023 but this deal seemingly fell through, leading tothe latest announcement that the KC/C-390 (the Millennium is designated C-390 in its transport guise and as KC-390 in its tanker-transport guise when it has its wingtip tanking pods installed) has been selected instead.
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