
The Brazilian Air Force has reportedly decided to decrease its Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft order from 22 to 15 units.
The move was reported by Reuters quoting a local newspaper O Globo.
In accordance with the report, Brazilian Air Force’s lieutenant-brigadier general Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior said that the Air Force is planning to further reduce the order due to budget unpredictability.
He was quoted as saying: “We cannot afford it in the short term.”
The original order, signed in 2014, included a total of 28 KC-390 military transport aircraft. The first aircraft was handed over to the Brazilian Air Force in September 2019.
However, Embraer reached an agreement with the Brazilian Air Force in February 2022 to reduce the order to 22 aircraft.
At the time of the announcement, Embraer said that the order reduction would not impact its 2021 guidance. But the company did not comment on its 2022 guidance.
Following the latest news report, Embraer told the news agency that the company has a contract with the Brazilian Air Force to supply 22 aircraft.
Meanwhile, the air force did not immediately revert to a request for comment, the report added.
Based in Brazil, aerospace company Embraer developed the KC-390 as a medium-weight, multi-mission tactical aircraft.
The aircraft can be used for a variety of missions, including humanitarian support, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), search and rescue, and aerial refuelling. It can also be used to transport cargo and troops and perform paratroopers operations.