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Embraer shows off KC-390 at Paris Air Show

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This undated photo provided by the Independence Seaport Museum shows the USS Olympia, a one-of-a-kind steel cruiser from the Spanish-American War, in Philadelphia. Since taking stewardship of the National Historic Landmark from a cash-strapped nonprofit in 1996, the Independence Seaport Museum has spent about $5 million on short-term repairs, inspections and maintenance but cannot afford to keep the ship. (AP Photo/Independence Seaport Museum, Hope Koseff Corse)

LE BOURGET, France — Reporters gathered at the Paris Air Show on Sunday for the very first media flight of Embraer’s KC-390 ahead of its inaugural flight demonstration at an international air show.

Envisioned as a larger, more modern competitor to Lockheed Martin’s famed C-130 Hercules, the KC-390’s debut demo at Le Bourget comes as Embraer starts a massive public relations tour that will be followed by the first two deliveries next year.

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About 

Valerie Insinna is Defense News’ air warfare reporter. She previously worked the Navy/congressional beats for Defense Daily, which followed almost three years as a staff writer for National Defense Magazine. Prior to that, she worked as an editorial assistant for the Tokyo Shimbun’s Washington bureau.