Present at the ceremony were, among others, Minister of Defence Pål Jonson, Air Force Chief Jonas Wikman, FMV Director General Mikael Granholm, Dutch State Secretary Gijs Tuinman, as well as both national and international media.
“With its capabilities, the C-390 will play a key role in strengthening Sweden’s national and international missions and readiness in turbulent times,” said Minister of Defence Pål Jonson.
Today’s signing marks a long-awaited step in the process of replacing the current Transport Aircraft 84 Hercules. The C-390 will meet the Air Force’s operational needs for a long-term tactical airlift capability, while enhancing the Armed Forces’ ability to rapidly transport personnel and materiel both nationally and internationally.
Air Force Chief Jonas Wikman emphasized that Swedish Air Force history was made today, and that the C-390 is a welcome addition to Sweden’s air fleet.
“This is an important day, a milestone and a springboard into the future. For us, this marks a beginning in many ways—we are in a phase of change within the Air Force, adapting to new challenges,” said the Air Force Chief.
Through a joint procurement with the Netherlands and Austria, Sweden is making a long-term investment but with an accelerated process. Since Sweden is joining an already existing contract, the aircraft can be delivered more quickly.
“In this way, we have saved both time and costs, and we can also meet challenges together and cooperate on them,” said FMV Director General Mikael Granholm.
The current military transport aircraft have served the Armed Forces for 60 years, and the process to replace the system has been underway for some time. The replacement, the C-390, is manufactured by Embraer and is a tactical medium-range transport aircraft capable of carrying 80 passengers or a load of 26 tons.
During a defence ministers’ meeting in Brazil last November, Minister of Defence Pål Jonson signed a declaration of intent to expand cooperation in the aviation field.