Embraer and South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) have entered a pact to explore further opportunities in the country’s defence market, building on Seoul’s order for three C-390 tactical transports.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a broader partnership was signed between the two parties at the ADEX defence show taking place in Seoul.
“This MoU will serve as a significant opportunity for Korea and Brazil to move beyond a simple buyer-seller relationship and toward a model of mutual growth cooperation,” says Republic of Korea Air Force Brigadier General Kang Joong-hee, who heads the DAPA’s aircraft business division.
“Through strategic cooperation with Embraer, the DAPA will actively support the entry of Korean companies into the overseas supply chains and the expansion of Korean defence exports.”
The C-390’s 2023 selection under Seoul’s Large Transport Aircraft (LTA-II) requirement marked the twin-engined jet transport’s first sale in the Asia-Pacific. It also saw the type defeat an incumbent type, the Lockheed Martin C-130J, in a market traditionally dominated by American aircraft.
Industrial involvement was a key consideration in Seoul’s decision to obtain the C-390, as South Korea is committed to the further development of its aerospace sector.
Speaking with FlightGlobal at the ADEX event, the chief executive of Embraer Defense & Security, Bosco da Costa, says that South Korea’s industrial participation in the C-390 serves to strengthen the company’s supply chain.
He notes that the involvement of South Korea is especially helpful as production of the C-390 ramps up from five aircraft this year to six in 2026, rising to 10 annually in 2030.
“The connection between Embraer and the Korean air force and DAPA has an amazing momentum,” he says. “Everything is on track, and everything is on time.”
The first South Korean C-390 is set to roll off Embraer’s production line at the end of 2025, at which point engineers will integrate systems specific for the Republic of Korea Air Force. The aircraft is set for delivery to the end customer by December 2026.
South Korea’s C-390s will be strictly transports, without the underwing pods to refuel other aircraft, and no probe for receiving fuel in-flight. Da Costa says, however, that these features can be installed later if necessary.
