Colombia signs $366 million deal for two Embraer KC-390 transports
Colombia’s Air and Space Force (FAC) has signed a contract with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer to acquire two KC-390 Millennium multi‑role transport aircraft. The agreement, announced on 4 August 2026, is valued at roughly $366 million and includes mission equipment, two‑year logistics support, training for pilots and maintenance crews, and an industrial‑cooperation package. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2029 and the second in 2030, with fixed pricing to shield the budget from inflation.
The purchase follows a fatal C‑130H Hercules crash in March that killed 69 personnel and accelerates the modernization of Colombia’s tactical airlift fleet. The KC‑390 will operate alongside the recently procured Saab JAS‑39 Gripen fighters, providing air‑refuel and cargo‑transport capabilities from unprepared runways. Embraer highlighted the deal as its first Latin‑American customer outside Brazil and the 13th country to select the KC‑390, reinforcing a partnership that dates back more than 35 years.
The contract expands Embraer’s international market, adding Colombia to a roster that includes Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Slovakia and Lithuania.
Entities: Bosco da Costa Junior · Colombian Aerospace Force · Colombian Air and Space Force (FAC) · Embraer · JAS 39 Gripen · KC-390 Millennium · Saab JAS‑39 Gripen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The contract value is approximately $366 million. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f, 8bdc2f3c-523c-483f-8919-9cb0b91affbb)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The KC‑390 can carry up to 26 tonnes and perform air‑refueling, cargo transport, troop deployment and humanitarian missions. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Colombia's Aerospace Force signed a contract to purchase two KC‑390 Millennium aircraft from Embraer. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f, 7af559c6-ff3d-4cab-a443-9acf8c2b56a7, 8bdc2f3c-523c-483f-8919-9cb0b91affbb)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The deal includes training, mission equipment, ground support and two years of logistics services. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Colombia will be the first Latin American country besides Brazil to operate the KC‑390. (7af559c6-ff3d-4cab-a443-9acf8c2b56a7)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The contract was signed three days before the presidential transition from Gustavo Petro. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The first KC‑390 is scheduled to arrive in 2029 and the second in 2030. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f, 8bdc2f3c-523c-483f-8919-9cb0b91affbb)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The contract uses fixed‑price terms to protect the budget from inflation. (80dc6ac5-74b5-4640-beee-8a67f38f815f, 8bdc2f3c-523c-483f-8919-9cb0b91affbb)