Partnership Aims to Enhance Aircraft with Boom Refueling Capability

Embraer and Northrop Grumman are collaborating to develop a tanker variant of the KC-390 Millennium, with a focus on adding a boom refueling capability to meet US Air Force and allied operator needs. The partnership aims to rapidly advance a next-generation air-refueling system, with planned enhancements including an advanced autonomous aerial refueling boom and improved situational awareness. The effort follows an earlier collaboration with L3Harris Technologies that ended in 2024. According to AeroTime, the KC-390’s current probe-and-drogue refueling approach may limit its compatibility with US Air Force receivers, making the addition of a boom refueling system a key requirement for broader adoption.