UAE to get 10 C-390 aircraft, up to 10 more in the future

ISTANBUL — The United Arab Emirates’ contracting authority, known as the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, has inked a deal with Brazilian firm Embraer to procure 10 C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft with an option to procure 10 more in the future, the company announced today.

With this deal, the UAE is the first country in the Middle East to be on contract with the C-390 aircraft. The C-390 Millennium aircraft can perform a number of missions including military transport, humanitarian and airdrop operations and medical evacuation.

“We have witnessed the signing of the largest international contract for C-390 Millennium aircraft, involving the purchase of 10 aircraft with additional options, in a step that enhances the readiness of our air forces with advanced, multi-mission operational capabilities,” UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed AlNahyan said today in a translated X post. “This also marks the aircraft’s first entry into the Middle East, reflecting global confidence in the efficiency of our defense system, while supporting the localization of military industries and strengthening the state’s industrial integration.”

President and CEO of Embraer Defense and Security Bosco da Costa Junior said that the C-390 Millennium will provide the Emirati Air Force and Air Defense with “the versatility and performance needed to carry out a wide range of missions anytime, anywhere, for decades to come.” He further added, “Embraer is fully committed to delivering the C-390 capability and providing world-class support to UAE, with the objective of building a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership.”

The contract — signed at the “Make It In The Emirates” exposition in Abu Dhabi — notes that the aircraft’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, “along with after-sales support services for the C-390 Millennium aircraft, will be developed in collaboration with” an Emirati firm, per the statement.

A separate announcement from Embraer stated the company has signed “an exclusive strategic partnership agreement” with Emirati defense and technology firm Generation 5 Holding “to cover a comprehensive scope of the C‑390 Millennium multi-mission military transport aircraft in the UAE.”

“Under this agreement, the two companies aim to develop comprehensive Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities and after-sales support for the aircraft in the UAE and the Middle East, focused on ensuring mission readiness, rapid response, and long-term fleet sustainability for regional operators,” the statement reads.

As Breaking Defense previously reported, Costa said in a November press conference that Embraer was in talks to expand into the UAE with a C-390 “completion center,” that would serve the country and greater region, dropping earlier plans to open such a center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.