Brazil Expands Firefighting Capacity with New Equipment for KC-390 Aircraft

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has acquired a second airborne firefighting system under a new contract with Embraer.

Known as the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II), this specialized equipment allows KC-390 multi-mission aircraft to rapidly combat wildfires by releasing large volumes of water.

The MAFFS II unit can be installed on any KC-390 aircraft in FAB’s fleet. It enables the aircraft to drop up to 12,000 liters of water in just seven seconds during a single flight. Over the past year, FAB’s KC-390 aircraft equipped with this system have delivered over one million liters of water to fight wildfires in critical areas such as the Amazon, Pantanal, and São Paulo.

Since its introduction in 2019, the KC-390 has achieved a 93% operational availability rate and a mission completion rate above 99%. The aircraft has been adopted by several countries, including Portugal, Hungary, and Sweden, and remains a key asset in Brazil's firefighting and multi-mission operations.