At the 2025 Paris Air Show, Embraer and the Royal Netherlands Air Force signed a contract for the delivery of an advanced aeromedical evacuation system for the C-390 Millennium, making the Netherlands the launch customer for the new capability.
Developed in close cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the new system offers a modular roll-on/roll-off configuration that integrates with the C-390’s existing cargo handling system. It enables a range of missions from intensive care transport to life support and aeromedical evacuation, including the treatment and movement of patients and soldiers requiring advanced in-flight medical care.
One key feature is a negatively pressurized isolation module, designed to safely transport patients with infectious diseases, reducing the risk of contamination for medical personnel and crew.
“This effectively turns the C-390 into a flying hospital,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “Our collaboration with the Netherlands shows how innovation and partnership can deliver real operational value. The Netherlands has taken an important role in the program, and this milestone is the result of that close cooperation.”
Beyond its use by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the aeromedical system is also being offered as an option for other current and future C-390 users. The Netherlands has placed options for seven additional aeromedical kits, designed to facilitate rapid delivery to allied nations should they decide to procure the system.
This move mirrors a similar approach taken by Portugal, which announced that it had ordered a sixth C-390 alongside 10 delivery options for potential NATO partners on the opening day of the 2025 Paris Air Show.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force ordered five C-390 Millennium aircraft in 2022 to replace its aging C-130 Hercules fleet, with the first delivery scheduled for 2026.
