Brazil’s air force has advanced the operational capabilities of its Embraer KC-390 transport/tanker, with the asset having transferred fuel to a Saab Gripen E fighter for the first time while on the ground.
Conducted on 11 August, the forward arming and refuelling point (FARP) test activity involved a KC-390 from the First Troop Transport Group, or “Zeus” Squadron, and a Gripen from the First Air Defense Group. Operated from Anapolis air base, the fighter has the local designation F-39.
“The operation marked a significant advance in the combat sustainment capacity of the Brazilian air force (FAB), allowing it to expand the range and autonomy of fighter aircraft in operational missions,” the service says.
“With this new validated capability, [the] FAB expands its range of options for operating in complex and high-demand scenarios, aligning with the best practices of cutting-edge air forces around the world,” it adds.
Embraer has to date delivered seven of the Brazilian air force’s 22 on-order KC-390s. Aviation analytics company Cirium records the service as having fielded 10 Gripen Es, from a 28-unit order which also includes two-seat F-model examples.
Brazil’s validation of the FARP capability is likely to be of note for several additional nations. Under current commitments, NATO members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Sweden also will operate the Gripen and C/KC-390 in combination.
Hungary already has both models in use, with 14 Gripen C/Ds and its first of two KC-390s operational.
