US Air Force, Allied Operators Targeted by Next-Gen Air-Refueling System
Embraer and Northrop Grumman are working together to evolve the KC-390 Millennium into a tanker variant with boom refueling capability. The collaboration aims to rapidly advance a next-generation air-refueling system for the US Air Force and allied operators. According to Embraer Defense and Security CEO Bosco da Costa Junior, the aircraft is ‘operationally proven and cost-effective,’ suggesting it could be added to the US Air Force inventory quickly. This partnership follows an earlier KC-390 effort with L3Harris Technologies that ended in 2024.