Northrop and Embraer join forces for KC-390 refueling boom
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An artist's rendering of an Embraer KC-390 with added refueling boom. Photo: Courtesy of Northrop Grumman
MELBOURNE, FL — Northrop Grumman and Embraer are exploring the development of an autonomous refueling device for the KC-390 Millennium that executives say could be demonstrated in a few years.
Why it matters: It's a play that returns Northrop to the tanker game while also potentially securing Embraer, a Brazilian company, the stronger stateside foothold it's been seeking. Air-to-air refueling is critical to military operations around the world.
Driving the news: Axios and other news outlets on Thursday flew aboard a KC-390 and visited Northrop's facilities southeast of Orlando.
- That aircraft departed Brazil about a month ago and has been zipping around the world. It previously stopped in Singapore and is now headed to Europe.
- The KC-390 is flown by a handful of militaries including Brazil's, with several others in talks to acquire it. Embraer is trying to market it to the Pentagon.
Zoom in: The KC-390 refuels via probe-and-drogue. That is largely incompatible with the U.S. Air Force.
- A refueling boom like the one Embraer and Northrop are discussing might pique the service's interest.
- "As I look at the marketplace ... really the next logical step for growth, for modernization, for recapitalization is the mobility market," Tom Jones, Northrop's president of aeronautics systems, told reporters.
- Conceptual art published by Northrop shows a boom extending from the back of the Millennium. The probe-and-drogue systems are still visible. The aircraft is flanked by F-35s, fifth-generation fighters used by more than a dozen countries.
Flashback: Embraer previously worked with L3Harris Technologies on a potential boom, among other things. That relationship fell apart in 2024, according to Breaking Defense.
The bottom line: "Air mobility operations are changing," Frederico Lemos, the Embraer Defense chief commercial officer, told reporters.
- "At the same time, the legacy tanker fleet faces a lot of challenges: numbers and availability and the ability they have to operate from dispersed locations," he said.
- "We need to bring something new."
Go deeper: Embraer teases counter-drone missions for Super Tucano
