The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces is negotiating with the Brazilian firm Embraer for the possible purchase of two C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft.
The potential deal follows the Czech government’s announcement in July that it is starting negotiations with the United States to buy 24 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets as a replacement for the Czech Air Force’s 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripen.
Embraer said Prague has completed a market assessment that shows the Millennium aircraft as “the most suitable solution for meeting the requirements of the army of the Czech Republic.”
C-390 offers the advantage of higher availability and lower life cycle cost because its maintenance needs are significantly less compared to other aircraft, it added.
The Millennium acquisition is geared at increasing the airlift capacity for the Czech Army’s missions, such as troop transport, air assault, aerial resupply, medical evacuation, humanitarian aid, air-to-air refueling and firefighting.
Its earliest customers, Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands and Austria, have preferred C-390’s multi-mission capability and interoperability, Embraer noted.