Article Posted on : - May 06, 2011

With a payload capacity of 23.6 tons, the new KC-390 aircraft will ferry troops, have in-flight refueling and search and rescue capabilities.

AO JOSE DOS CAMPOS (BNS): Brazil’s new KC-390 military transport aircraft will be equipped with the avionics system provided by US aerospace firm Rockwell Collins, the aircraft’s manufacturer Embraer has announced.

The airplane will be fitted with the Pro Line FusionTM avionics system, manufactured by Rockwell Collins, Embraer said Wednesday.

“Embraer has chosen the best solution in latest-generation avionics available on the market, which will provide greater operational efficiency for the KC-390,” Eduardo Bonini Santos Pinto, COO, Embraer Defense and Security, said.

Rockwell Collins' Vice President and General Manager of Mobility and Rotary Wing Solutions, Dave Nieuwsma, said, “Embraer’s selection of our integrated avionics system will provide pilots with the most advanced commercial avionics capability, ruggedized to meet military mission requirements.”

“Pilots will benefit from the enhanced situational awareness and reduced workload to achieve mission success,” the official added.

Embraer plans to begin flight tests for the KC-390 with the new avionics in 2014.

Under development since 2009, the medium-size, twin-engine jet-powered military transport plane is expected to enter service in 2015.

The Brazilian Air Force has committed to buy 28 KC-390s, while five other countries – Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Portugal – together intend to acquire 32 such planes.

The new military transport plane is being designed with a payload capacity of 23.6 tons. It will be able to ferry troops, have in-flight refueling and search and rescue capabilities.