Photos: Embraer
The first agreement was signed by His Excellency Dr. Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Tawazun Council, and Bosco da Costa Jr., President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer.
The second agreement, concerning comprehensive maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities and after-sales support, was signed by Dr. Khalifa Murad Alblooshi, Managing Director of Generation 5 Holding. The partnership also includes industrial integration and supply-chain opportunities, as well as related training programs for technical and operational personnel. Earlier, Embraer had signed letters of intent with the UAE-based AMMROC (Advanced Military Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul Center) and GAL (Global Aerospace Logistics).
Following an extensive analysis and evaluation, including a comprehensive test campaign in the country’s operational environment, the UAE Air Force and Air Defence selected the C-390 Millennium as the aircraft best suited to meet critical mission requirements while optimizing operational efficiency and life-cycle costs.
The C-390 Millennium will enable the UAE Air Force and Air Defence to perform a wide range of missions, including cargo and troop transport, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation, operations from unpaved runways, and seamless interoperability with national assets as well as allied and partner forces.
To date, this landmark agreement is the largest international order for the C-390 Millennium from a single country and marks the aircraft’s first success in the Middle East, highlighting its strong suitability for the demanding requirements of modern air forces operating in complex environments.
The UAE Air Force and Air Defence currently operates seven Lockheed Martin C-130H/L-100 medium transport aircraft. Since 2009, it had been looking for successors and, after receiving U.S. State Department approval to purchase 12 C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft and four KC-130J tankers as an option, ultimately broke off the talks. Later, Lockheed Martin again promoted the Super Hercules in the UAE, but, as is clear, again without success.
Photo: MILMAG Archive
C-390 Millenium
The C-390 Millennium stands out as the most efficient aircraft in its class, designed to carry out complex missions in the most demanding conditions. Designed and built in the 21st century to meet current and future threats, this medium multi-mission transport and tanker aircraft delivers outstanding performance, operational flexibility, and cost efficiency. Its capabilities include air-to-air refueling, Agile Combat Employment, and rapid response across a wide range of mission profiles.
Since 2014, Embraer has secured orders for the C-390 Millennium from Brazil, which has contracted 19 aircraft instead of the original 27; Portugal, with six aircraft and an option for 10 more; Hungary, with two; the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with five; Austria, with four; the Czech Republic, with two; the Republic of Korea, with three; Sweden, with four and an option for seven more; and an undisclosed customer, with two aircraft. This was initially suspected to be Morocco, but according to the manufacturer’s latest information, it is Uzbekistan — editor’s note. In addition, Slovakia and Lithuania are each expected to order three aircraft, although the contracts have not yet been signed. Vilnius, however, postponed the decision until after 2030 in January 2026 and will modernize its C-27J Spartan aircraft by 2036.
The aircraft is currently being promoted on the Saudi market; in India, together with the Mahindra Group under the MTA program, estimated at 40–80 aircraft; and across the broader Asian market, as well as in Poland, where the company-owned aircraft, the same example that had been tested in Sweden, appeared twice: on December 2, 2025, at Chopin Airport in Warsaw, and on March 13 this year at Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2 (Military Aviation Works No. 2) in Bydgoszcz. Together with Northrop Grumman, the aircraft is also being offered in the United States as an aerial refueling tanker with a flying boom. In summary, of the 47 serial-production aircraft ordered so far, 14 have been delivered, and the fleet has already logged more than 20,000 flight hours.
The aircraft is 33.5 m long, has a wingspan of 33.9 m, and is 11.4 m high. Its maximum takeoff weight is 87 t, including a payload of 26 t. The cargo hold measures 18.5 x 3.0 x 3.4 m. Range with a 23-tonne payload is 2,815 km. Powered by two IAE V2500-E5 turbofan engines, each producing 139.4 kN of thrust, it has a cruising speed of 870 km/h and a service ceiling of 11,000 m.
NEWS | @TawazunCouncil awards contract to Brazil’s Embraer for up to 20 C-390 Millennium for the UAE Air Force. Read full news: https://t.co/oHS74O8tIQ pic.twitter.com/tktaramdYM
— Embraer (@embraer) May 4, 2026
NEWS | Generation 5 Holding and Embraer sign exclusive strategic partnership agreement for the C-390 Millennium programme in the UAE. Read full news: https://t.co/fNP4TBPp7O pic.twitter.com/SmTLWZH7F8
— Embraer (@embraer) May 4, 2026