Austria selects KC-390 as C-130K replacement
Austria is to acquire the KC-390 (pictured) to replace its ageing C-130K airlifters. (Embraer)
Austria has selected the Embraer KC-390 Millennium for its future fixed-wing medium-lift requirement.
Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner announced the selection on 20 September, with the Brazilian-made airlifter now set to replace the Lockheed Martin C-130K Hercules in Austrian Air Force (Ăsterreichische LuftstreitkrĂ€fte) service.
At the announcement, Major General Harald Vodosek from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence said that four aircraft would be acquired, with a contract expected in early 2024. Tanner did not disclose contract values or delivery timelines in her announcement, and Embraer had not responded to a Janes request for comment at the time of publication.
News of the selection came six months after Austria attended a Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa: FAP)-hosted user meeting for the KC-390 at Air Base No 11 in Beja. During this event, it joined countries that had already ordered or had committed to ordering the tanker transport and discussed co-operation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing on the aircraft.
The Ăsterreichische LuftstreitkrĂ€fte has a requirement to replace three former UK C-130K aircraft, as outlined in the latest defence budget that was published in October 2022 and which will run through to 2027. The KC-390 was one of the platforms being considered for that requirement, with other surplus C-130s, as well as newbuild C-130J Hercules, Leonardo C-27J Spartan, and Airbus C295 aircraft having been looked at also. At the time of the selection, the KC-390 was up against the C-130J.
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