Full Operational Capability certificate confirms that the KC-390 Millennium can perform all missions for which it was designed
Air Force Agency – 1ST GTT / BAAN
Satisfaction and pride. The First Troop Transport Group (1º GTT) – Zeus Squadron – has incorporated FAB 2858 with its Full Operational Capability (FOC). The new aircraft was delivered to the fleet on Friday (June 16), symbolizing a significant milestone for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). By receiving the FAB 2858, the 1st GTT reinforces its fundamental role in the execution of strategic and operational missions.
The FOC-certified KC-390 is the result of intense development and improvement work, started in 2012 and now ending in 2023. The certification process for the KC-390 aircraft involved more than 180 experts, including pilots, engineers and technicians from the Industrial Development and Coordination Institute (IFI) and other organizations from the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), the General Support Command (COMGAP) and the Preparedness Command (COMPREP), as well as experts from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).
The KC-390 Millennium, with FOC certification, represents the most advanced and complete version of the aircraft, incorporating a series of resources and functionalities that further expand its operational capabilities. Now, with this aircraft, it will be possible, for example, to perform nighttime In-flight Refueling and In-flight Firefighting missions. It will also be possible to use advanced mission systems, including a suite of modern avionics, state-of-the-art communication systems and self-defense capabilities. These features ensure that the KC-390 aircraft can operate in hostile environments, ensuring the safety of the aircraft and its crew during these specific operational missions.
According to the Commander of the 1st GTT, Lieutenant Colonel Aviator Bruno Américo Pereira, with the receipt of FAB 2858, the Brazilian Air Force strengthens its strategic and operational capacity, ensuring even greater readiness to meet the challenges of the present and the future. “The work will now be intensified. It is necessary to establish and improve new tactics, techniques and operational procedures for the new Air Force Actions that will be incorporated, continuing the process of operational deployment of this important aerospace means in the FAB,” highlighted the Officer.
The Commander of Anápolis Air Base (BAAN – Base Aérea de Anápolis), Aviator Colonel Renato Leal Leite, also considers the arrival of this new aircraft to be extremely important. “The certification of the FOC configuration by the Industrial Promotion and Coordination Institute was one of the contractual steps that make up the contractual acceptance of the product by the Aeronautics Command (COMAER). The receipt of the first FOC-certified KC-390 Millennium aircraft will represent an important doctrinal and operational leap for the Brazilian Air Force, since it will further expand the possibilities of using this aircraft,” concluded the BAAN Commander.
Photos: 1st GTT/BAAN and Sergeant Müller Marin / CECOMSAER