INDO-PACIFIC — Embraer is working with Northrop Grumman to develop an autonomous boom refueling capability for the KC-390 Millennium multimission tanker/transport aircraft. This development aims to address operational challenges faced by the U.S. Air Force in the Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. military wargames have identified risks to large tanker aircraft operating from a limited number of bases in the Indo-Pacific. A 2023 Congressional Research Service report noted challenges in sustaining air operations across the Indo-Pacific due to potential missile attacks on key bases, such as Andersen Air Force Base on Guam and Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan. The report recommended dispersing forces across a wider network of airfields to complicate enemy targeting.

The U.S. Air Force's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept involves moving aircraft, crews, fuel, and supplies across a network of smaller operating locations. The U.S. Air Force refueling fleet primarily consists of KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus aircraft, which generally require long runways and substantial support infrastructure. Embraer officials state the KC-390 is not intended to replace these aircraft.

An analysis by Embraer indicates that more airfields in the Pacific, including military facilities in the Philippines, are capable of supporting KC-390 class aircraft compared to larger strategic tankers. The KC-390 was designed to operate from austere or damaged runways and features rugged landing gear, high ground clearance, and engines mounted to avoid foreign object debris. Marc Ayala, Embraer's vice president for defense sales in North America, said, "The best way to protect an asset is by making its destruction strategically irrelevant." He also stated that it is "already a refueling tanker and was designed from the beginning that way."

While the KC-390 currently performs aerial refueling using probe-and-drogue systems, the U.S. Air Force prefers boom refueling methods for much of its fleet. The KC-390 is designed as a multi-mission aircraft, capable of switching between airlift, refueling, medevac, firefighting, and special operations missions. Its cargo system can transport Black Hawk helicopters without removing their rotor heads and can also transport M142 HIMARS systems.

The KC-390 entered service in 2019. Since then, 11 nations have selected the aircraft, including South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Embraer conducted a 70-day demonstration tour of the KC-390 through 11 countries.