Embraer begins KC/C-390 unpaved runway tests

Embraer announced on 23 July that it would start unpaved runway tests with its KC/C-390 Millennium transport aircraft.

Embraer has announced plans to perform unpaved runway tests with its KC/C-390 Millennium transport aircraft. (Embraer)

The company said on Twitter that it would use a 1,800 m runway at Gavião Peixoto in Brazil and that assessments would be performed over the coming weeks to analyse the aircraft's operation. An unpaved runway is any runway used for take-off and landing where the surface layer is not a paved smooth hard surface.

Embraer had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

The KC/C-390 is a twin-jet short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft with a T tail and rear loading ramp. It is intended for the medium (5–10 tonne payload) and heavy (10–20 tonnes) market sectors, which were previously dominated by turboprops. The aircraft can operate in Antarctica and from semi-prepared airstrips containing holes up to 40 cm deep on California Bearing Ratio (CBR) 4 surfaces, according to Janes All the World's Aircraft: Development & Production.