The Brazilian
manufacturer revealed the plan at the Paris Air Show only a day after Kawasaki
announced ongoing studies to convert a baseline C-2 military transport into a
commercial freighter.
The KC-390 is being
developed for $1.3 billion by the Brazilian Air Force to receive military
certification in 2016. A stretched model could be available as early as 2018
for the commercial transport market, which includes Brazil's Correios postal
service - the original launch customer for an earlier version of the KC-390.
The civil version
would have to be modified with two plugs added to the 33.91m (111.3ft) length
of the KC-390's fuselage, Orlando Neto, vice president of sales for Embraer
Defence and Security, said in an interview.
One plug would be
added forward of the wing to accommodate a side door for cargo. Another plug
would be inserted into the fuselage aft of the wing to create more internal
space, Neto said.
The existing wings and
engines of the KC-390 are sized to accommodate the stretched version for the
cargo market, he added. The KC-390 also features an avionics system - the
Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion - design to receive Part 25 civil certification
in 2015.
Embraer's commercial
plans for the KC-390 over-shadowed the lack of further announcements about the
airlifter's supply chain.
Despite recently
entering a year-long joint definition phase, Embraer has yet to finalise
agreements with the engine supplier for the KC-390. Both the CFM International
CFM56 and the International Aero Engines V2500 have been considered for the
order.
Neto confirmed that
discussions are concluded between the company and the Brazilian air force over the
engine supplier. The discussions are now between the company and the suppliers,
although declined to clarify if one of the companies had already been ruled
out.
But the discussions
are also not expected to drag on indefinitely. Neto added that Embraer has a
firm schedule for completing the negotiations, and a contract award is possible
within a few weeks.
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