{"id":5912,"date":"2026-02-21T01:14:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T01:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/embraer-joins-northrop-to-devise-autonomous-boom-system-for-kc-890-tanker\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T01:14:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T01:14:43","slug":"embraer-joins-northrop-to-devise-autonomous-boom-system-for-kc-890-tanker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/embraer-joins-northrop-to-devise-autonomous-boom-system-for-kc-890-tanker\/","title":{"rendered":"Embraer joins Northrop to devise autonomous boom system for KC-890 tanker"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MELBOURNE, Fla.\u2014<\/strong>Brazilian aerospace giant Embraer is teaming up with Northrop Grumman to develop what could be the Air Force\u2019s next tanker\u2014and promises to spend a half-billion-dollars on infrastructure to make the KC-390 Millenium here.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have\u2026almost 3,000 direct employees here in Melbourne,\u201d said Bosco da Costa Junior, CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. \u201cIf we have the right business case, Embraer is eager to invest over $500 million to a dedicated facility for KC-390. By the way, the platform today is already compliant with [the] Buy American Act\u201d and could be a \u201cwinning value proposition\u201d for U.S. and international markets.<\/p>\n

The companies are exploring options\u2014and for Northrop, building on the company\u2019s ongoing research and development in the area\u2014to develop an autonomous boom that could be retrofitted for existing KC-390 aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKey to this partnership is Northrop Grumman\u2019s commitment to field a boom for the KC-390,\u201d said Tim Walton, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, told Defense One<\/em>. \u201cThis commitment is bolstered by Northrop Grumman\u2019s interest in also fielding fuel transfer systems for its other Next-Generation Air Refueling System offerings, an Northrop Grumman-designed low-observable aircraft and a Medium-sized Blended Wing Body design with JetZero.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northrop\u2019s refueling technology efforts are part of a \u201cmetered investment\u201d that could be demonstrated in the \u201clow, single-digit years,\u201d said Tom Jones, who leads the company\u2019s aeronautics division.\u00a0<\/p>\n

KC-390s are already equipped with a probe-and-drogue refueling system, which is used for helicopters and some Navy aircraft. But adding a boom would allow it to refuel more types of aircraft, specifically U.S. Air Force planes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Northrop is able to integrate a boom, the KC-390 would be able to refuel a broad range of receptacle receiver aircraft,\u201d from the U.S. Air Force and worldwide, such as the F-35, Walton said.<\/p>\n

KC-390s are already being flown by air forces in Brazil, Portugal, and Hungary with orders from Austria, the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Sweden, and South Korea, according to investor documents. It can seat about 80 troops, reconfigure for different missions\u2014including stowing a folded Black Hawk\u2014and does well with short runway takeoffs. And, for what it\u2019s worth, the ride is better than a C-17.<\/p>\n

The Embraer-Northrop deal comes as the Trump administration asks defense companies to produce weapons faster, spend their own money on developing new tech, and make products domestically.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It also follows Embraer\u2019s failed partnership with L3Harris to develop aerial refueling capability. That coupling dissolved in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, Embraer has been persistent in its push to become a major player in the U.S. defense industry, even amid increased buy and build in America rhetoric since President Donald Trump took office in 2025. Other foreign-based defense contractors have also made known their interest in doing business with and in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Embraer\u2019s decadeslong presence in the U.S. is primarily with its executive jets\u2014but the company wants to keep expanding its global defense business, which grew about 10 percent in 2025, according to an earnings release.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, Air Force Special Operations Command agreed to buy three of Embraer\u2019s A-29 Super Tucano, which are produced in a specialized facility in Jacksonville, Fla. Also, the Air Force is currently sketching out its Next Generation Air-refueling System program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Executives wouldn\u2019t say whether the new partnership hinged on U.S. Air Force buy-in, insisting instead there is enough demand regardless.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemand is there\u201d for tankers globally, said Frederico Lemos, who leads Embraer\u2019s international defense business. For example, nations with smaller air forces \u201cwant flexibility\u201d and the ability to do \u201cmultiple missions\u201d with a single aircraft, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: This media trip was facilitated by Northrop Grumman and Embraer and included transportation via the KC-390. <\/strong>\n\n<\/svg><\/p>\n<\/div>\n