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SINGAPORE—The Uzbekistan Air Force will start flying Embraer KC-390s, the Brazilian aircraft-maker said in announcing the country as the customer behind an undisclosed order.
Embraer has not disclosed how many aircraft Uzbekistan is buying, but the first is due to the customer this year, Bosco da Costa Junior, Embraer Defense & Security CEO, told reporters here at the Singapore Airshow. It is the first Central Asian customer for the aircraft.
The delivery would be one of six KC-390s plans to put into customer hands this year, doubling the 2025 figure. Among them will be the first South Korean KC-390, da Costa said.
Embraer has cut build time for the aircraft by around a third and will aim to do more this year, he noted. “Our supply chain is 100% engaging to increase the rates in our production line,” da Costa said.
Embraer plans to boost output to 10 aircraft per year by around 2030, but also is looking to establish additional final assembly capacity to address growing demand.
The company sees an addressable market of 184 aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, with India representing around 40 to 80 units. The near term, the company expects, is around 84 aircraft across this region.
Embraer also identified Philippines as the buyer of six A-29s in an order listed previously as coming from an undisclosed customer. The top-up deal will double the fleet size in the country’s air force, with deliveries of the new batch due to start late this year.
The addressable A-29 market in the Asia-Pacific area is about 90 aircraft, Embraer projects, with 26 sales as near-term opportunities.
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