Uzbekistan has taken delivery of its first C-390 Millennium from Embraer, becoming the first Central Asian country to operate the multi-mission transport aircraft.
The aircraft was handed over to the Uzbekistan Air Force during an official ceremony at Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil.
Tashkent signed an undisclosed contract in late 2024 for two C-390s, comprehensive training and support, and spare parts, before Embraer publicly revealed the Central Asian country as the customer in February 2026.
“The delivery of the first C-390 Millennium represents a significant step forward for the modernization of the Uzbekistan Air Force,” said Major General Akhmad Jamolovich Burkhonov, Commander of the Air Force of Uzbekistan.
C-390 Millennium
Embraer designed the C-390 to carry up to 26 tons of payload, more than comparable medium-sized military transport aircraft.
The Millennium can fly at a top speed of 470 knots (870 kilometers/540 miles per hour) and take off from paved and unpaved surfaces, enabling it to perform missions such as cargo and troop transport, search and rescue, and firefighting.
It can be reconfigured into the KC-390 tanker-transport variant upon a quick installation of air-to-air refueling equipment.
The C-390 is in service with or on order by several air forces around the world, including Colombia, Hungary, and South Korea.
