Greece plans to buy up to six KC-390 Millennium transport aircraft from Embraer, becoming the eighth NATO member to select the Brazilian-made plane. The Greek government announced the plan on Monday, November 2, according to the report.
The Greek Defence Ministry said the country will initially acquire three aircraft, with an option for three more through a joint arrangement with Portugal. Portugal has received four of the six KC-390s it ordered. Under the proposed deal, Lisbon would purchase the additional aircraft and transfer them to Athens. The Greek contract’s value has not been disclosed.
The arrangement is expected to speed up delivery by allowing Greece to move ahead in the production queue. The first aircraft is due to arrive next year. Portugal would make a profit equivalent to about R$180 million on a transaction valued at R$3.6 billion, according to the report.
Greece currently operates 15 US-made C-130 Hercules aircraft and 13 Italian C-27J transports. The KC-390 can carry up to 26 tonnes, compared with up to 19 tonnes for the Hercules and 11.5 tonnes for the C-27J. Greece selected the KC version, which can refuel aircraft in flight—a capability its Hercules fleet does not have.
Embraer has also secured KC-390 orders from Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia and Austria. The report notes that the Baltic states’ arrangements have not yet become final contracts. Other customers include South Korea, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates and Colombia.
The KC-390 was developed following a 2008 order from the Brazilian Air Force, and the first aircraft was delivered in 2019. Brazil reduced its order from 28 planes to 19; eight had been delivered at the time of the report. The aircraft has since become an export success, as European governments increase defence spending and Greece pursues a broader military procurement plan approved last year, worth R$135 billion over 12 years.
Sources: Folha Mercado.