Greece picks Embraer's KC-390 Millennium, Anand Mahindra calls it 'most modern' military aircraft

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra on Tuesday welcomed Greece's decision to select Embraer's KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft, saying the growing international acceptance of the aircraft strengthens the case for bringing its manufacturing to India.

Mahindra Group has partnered with Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer to manufacture the KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft in India, subject to its selection by the Indian Air Force.

Mahindra said his group's partnership with Embraer includes plans to establish a final assembly line in India if the KC-390 is selected under the Indian Air Force's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme.

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"Another major milestone for Embraer and the KC-390 Millennium. Greece’s decision to acquire the KC-390 is yet another strong endorsement of this exceptional platform," Mahindra wrote on X.

Earlier today, Embraer announced that Greece had become the 14th country and seventh European nation to select the KC-390.

"Greece becomes the 14th nation and the 7th European country to select the KC-390 Millennium to reinforce operational capabilities and interoperability with NATO and allied forces," Embraer said.

Mahindra said the aircraft's growing international acceptance demonstrated its capabilities and operational value.

"The KC-390 is clearly the most modern, versatile and capable military transport aircraft in the world today. Its unmatched combination of speed, range, payload, advanced technology and multi-mission capabilities is setting new benchmarks in military aviation," he said.

Highlighting the potential for domestic production, Mahindra said the partnership could strengthen India's defence manufacturing ecosystem. "At Mahindra, we are proud to be partnering with Embraer in our endeavour to bring this exceptional aircraft to India."

"If selected under the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme, our partnership envisages establishing a Final Assembly Line (FAL) in India, alongside a high degree of localisation using the Indian Aerospace supply chain," he added.

Mahindra said such a move would support domestic aerospace manufacturing while providing the Indian Air Force with an advanced military transport platform.

"This would be a significant step towards strengthening India’s indigenous aerospace and defence manufacturing ecosystem while equipping our Air Force with one of the world’s most advanced military transport platforms," he said.

Mahindra also pointed to the aircraft's expanding international customer base, including Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia and Greece.

"This growing global acceptance speaks volumes about the aircraft’s capabilities and operational value," he said.