Brazil’s C-390 Millennium is giving the US’ C-130 Hercules cargo plane a run for its money

Visitors watch a Brazilian Air Force Embraer C-390 Millennium take part in an air display.

America’s tried-and-true C-130 Hercules cargo plane is facing stiff competition from Brazil’s new C-390 Millennium as demand for the Brazilian-built workhorse cargo plane builds.

Lockheed Martin’s C-130 turboprop makes up a fifth of the global military transport fleet, according to aviation data provider Cirium.

While Embraer is far from edging out Lockheed in the global aviation market, the jet-powered C-390 is giving US cargo planes a run for their money.

Cargo planes are essential for fast-lifting the combat vehicles and ammunition troops depend on, and they can double as jump platforms for paratroopers. In this market dominated by the C-130 internationally, Brazil’s Embraer hopes to make inroads with a faster and roomier aircraft.

‘Now it is time for the Embraer C-390’

The Embraer logo is seen next to a blue carpet leading to a C-390 Millennium.

In July, the Dutch Ministry of Defense acquired nine C-390 Millenium aircraft in a joint deal signed at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK, allocating five to the Netherlands and four to Austria.

“This aircraft is the best choice in the market, offering an unbeatable combination of high performance, advanced technology, and low life cycle costs,” Bosco da Costa Jr., president and CEO of Brazilian defense firm Embraer, said.

The new C-390s would replace the Austrian Air Forces’ aging fleet of three C-130s, which have an average age of 56 years after the country acquired secondhand from the UK’s Royal Air Force.

“Since 2003, the three Hercules aircraft have completed many missions and have always been a reliable transport device for our soldiers,” Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said last September. “Now it is time for the Embraer C-390.”

Spacious cargo hold and fast speeds

A member of the C-390’s crew holds equipment aboard the cargo plane.

The C-390 offers some advantages over the C-130: roomier cargo capacity and high airspeeds.

The twin-engined C-390 aircraft measures just over 115 feet in length and 38 feet tall, with a wing span of 115 feet.

The C-390’s cargo hold is about 60 feet long and can carry a maximum payload of 26 metric tons (about 57,000 pounds) — with space to accommodate light vehicles, heavy vehicles, and helicopters.

The C-390 can fly at a maximum altitude of 36,000 feet and reach speeds of about 614 miles per hour. It also has a range of 1,080 nautical miles at full capacity.

By comparison, the C-130 has a slightly smaller cargo hold and travels at slower speeds, but newer variants have a longer range than the C-390.

A multi-mission workhorse

A view behind the jet engine of a C-390.

The C-390 Millenium is a versatile military transport aircraft that can be configured for a range of missions in three hours or less.

It can be deployed for cargo and troop transport, medical evacuations, aerial firefighting, search and rescue missions, and rendering humanitarian aid.

Featuring air-to-air refueling equipment, it can operate as both a tanker to refuel other aircraft or be refueled by another C-390.

Similarly, the C-130 functions as an aerial refueling aircraft as well as a tactical passenger and cargo airlift.

With the longest, continuous military aircraft production run in history, the Hercules is produced in over 70 variants. The latest of them, the C-130J Super Hercules, has logged more than 1 million flight hours carrying out combat, humanitarian, special ops, and refueling missions since it entered service in the late 1990s.

C-390 around the world

The C-390 Millennium transits a runway before taking flight.

The joint C-390 acquisition by the Netherlands and Austria comes after South Korea — a longtime operator of the C-130 — became Embraer’s first customer in Asia last year.

In December, the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration acquired three C-390s in a $544 million deal, or 710 billion won.

The C-390 first entered the Brazilian Air Force in 2019, later joining the Hungarian Defense Forces in 2020 and the Portuguese Air Force in 2023. Other countries have since been eyeing the C-390, including Sweden, Egypt, India, and Singapore.

By contrast, more than 2,500 C-130 aircraft have been ordered or delivered to 63 countries to date, according to Lockheed Martin, and 70 countries are known to operate them, including Canada, the UK, Japan, and Israel.

The C-390 in development

The C-390 Millennium takes off from a runway during an airshow ceremony.

Development of the C-390 first began in the late 2000s after Embraer was contracted to develop two prototypes of the medium-sized transport aircraft.

In its third attempt to build the aircraft, the first production of the C-390 made its maiden flight in October 2018. The Brazilian Air Force received its first C-390 in September 2019, and two months later, the cargo plane debuted at the Dubai Airshow, entering the global market with a new name: the C-390 Millenium.

The current C-390 fleet in operation has since completed more than 13,000 flight hours.

Riding in the cargo hold

A row of seating inside a C-390 cargo plane.

The cargo hold can accommodate up to 80 troops or up to 64 paratroopers. The cabin has temperature control and reduced vibration and noise, as well as a complete toilet and heated floors for passengers’ comfort.

Medical evacuations

Stacked cots are seen inside a C-390.

When deployed to support ground operations or disaster relief missions, the Millenium’s cargo hold can be configured to carry up to 80 stretchers to transport survivors or casualties, or less litters to provide room for up to eight medical attendants and equipment.

High-tech avionics

Two pilots sit in the cockpit of a C-390.

The C-390 is equipped with advanced tactical radar, threat detection systems, and aiming software that uses an algorithm to determine optimal drop points while giving the pilot an option to manually or automatically release cargo.

The interior, exterior, and cockpit systems have night vision capabilities for night flights, aerial refueling operations, or low-vision search and rescue missions.

Pitching the C-390 in the US

A C-390 aircraft flies during an air show.

While there haven’t been any public negotiations by the Pentagon to add any C-390s to its fleet, Embraer has made moves to pitch the plane to the US market.

In an inaugural visit earlier this year, the Brazilian defense firm showcased the C-390 at its facilities in Melbourne, Florida, to “an important and diverse audience,” the company said in a March statement.

According to a press release, the event hosted a “diverse guest list of government authorities, military officials, prospects, and partners” and featured the A-29 Super Tucano, a turboprop light attack aircraft flown by some South American militaries.

The Embraer president da Costa Jr. said the A-29 was built “just hours away in Jacksonville, Florida,” hinting that the C-390 could be manufactured in the US as well — a common requirement for foreign aircraft operated by the US military.

“The A-29 Super Tucano has been an important part of our manufacturing footprint in Florida for over 10 years,” da Costa Jr. said at the time, “and we see big opportunities for both aircraft in the market with perhaps the potential to bring the C-390 here as well.”