The KC-390, the largest military transport aircraft built by EMBRAER, it was presented on 21st October for the first time fully assembled and equipped at Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo (Brazil). It was a historic moment for the aerospace industry worldwide. OGMA – Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal S.A. is directly associated once the company designed, developed and manufactures several parts for this aircraft. Its maiden flight is scheduled for later this year.

Rodrigo Rosa, chairman and CEO of OGMA says: “The active participation of OGMA in the KC-390 programme, namely in the planning and design phases and in the definition and management of a supply chain, based on Portuguese companies, and, in other hand, the investment made by EMBRAER in OGMA since 2005 reflect the confidence in the Portuguese aerospace industry and a clear support focused on developing this industry, looking up to increase its value in the Portuguese economy”.

OGMA is building the KC-390 centre fuselage. This 10,5-metre long component is one of several in this new aircraft being manufactured in Portugal. The left and right sponsons are also being manufactured and assembled in Portugal. They are around 12 meters long and manufactured with composite materials and metal alloys and form the fairing of the landing gear compartment. OGMA is also responsible for manufacturing and assembling the elevators for this tactical military transport plane.

The involvement of OGMA in the KC-390 programme started during the planning and design of the aircraft, based on a straight partnership and outreach with EMBRAER. OGMA participated in the initial phase of the product (Joint Definition Phase) and it was responsible for the development and management of a competitive and flexible supply chain, preferably formed by Portuguese companies. The participation of OGMA on this aerospace project influenced positively the company's performance, elevating the importance of Aerostructures business area in the overall OGMA's sales.

The KC-390 has twin V2500 turbofan engines and is prepared for deployment in a wide variety of missions: freight and personnel transport, air drops of cargo and troops, in-flight refueling and medical evacuations. It is the most versatile aircraft in its class and it does all this at the lowest total lifecycle cost on the market.