Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer has confirmed Mahindra Group as its Indian industrial partner for the Indian Air Force’s proposed acquisition of 60 Multi-Role Transport Aircraft, ANI reported.

The Embraer-Mahindra team will offer the KC-390 Millennium, a twin-engined tactical and strategic airlifter that Embraer is positioning as a replacement for the IAF’s ageing Antonov An-32 fleet.

The clarification from Embraer Defence & Security President and Chief Executive Bosco da Costa Junior underscores that Mahindra is the company’s chosen partner for the military transport aircraft campaign in India.

Embraer has stated that its military partnership structure for the program remains centred on Mahindra.

The arrangement is the product of a relationship that has developed over more than two years, rather than a newly created tie-up for the current procurement stage. Embraer Defence & Security and Mahindra first signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2024 to jointly pursue the IAF’s Medium Transport Aircraft, or MTA, requirement with the C-390 Millennium.

That MoU was signed at the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi and set out the partners’ intent to work jointly towards the possible acquisition of the aircraft by the IAF.

The initial agreement envisaged engagement with the IAF on the evolving procurement process, alongside outreach to India’s aerospace sector to develop an industrialisation plan for the aircraft.

Mahindra Defence Systems, a wholly owned Mahindra subsidiary with activities in armoured transport, defence electronics and related products, was the Mahindra entity involved in the original agreement. The partnership advanced in October 2025, when Embraer and Mahindra signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement to support the C-390 Millennium offer for the IAF’s MTA program.

That agreement broadened the proposed scope of cooperation beyond joint marketing. It included examining local manufacturing, final assembly, supply-chain development and maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, activity in India.

The companies said their longer-term ambition was to establish India as a manufacturing and support hub for the C-390 Millennium, capable of serving domestic requirements as well as regional customers.

For Embraer, an Indian industrial base would support its efforts to expand the global supply and sustainment network required as the C-390 customer base grows.

For Mahindra, the campaign could provide a route into a major fixed-wing military aviation program involving production, lifecycle support and deeper integration with international aerospace supply chains.

The immediate opportunity is the IAF’s requirement for 60 medium transport aircraft. The program also contains an option for a further 50 per cent increase in quantity, potentially taking the overall requirement to 90 aircraft if the option is exercised. The procurement is intended to initiate replacement of the IAF’s ageing medium-lift transport fleet, especially the An-32, while improving fleet availability and operational resilience.

Embraer has said it is fully engaged in meeting the program’s stipulated timetable. Da Costa Junior said the IAF requires the capability quickly to raise the availability of its transport fleet. He described the C-390 as a suitable fit for the requirement and said Embraer is presenting it not only as an An-32 replacement, but as a possible common platform for standardising the IAF’s medium transport fleet.

The KC-390 is the air-to-air refuelling-capable variant of Embraer’s C-390 Millennium transport aircraft. The platform combines the roles of tactical airlifter, logistics aircraft, troop carrier and aerial refuelling tanker.

It is designed to undertake cargo and personnel transport, airdrop operations, casualty evacuation, search-and-rescue tasks, firefighting and humanitarian assistance missions. The aircraft can also be configured to receive fuel in flight, in addition to functioning as a tanker through underwing refuelling pods.

This tanker-receiver capability could offer operational flexibility for an air force seeking a multi-mission platform rather than a transport aircraft restricted solely to logistics duties.

Embraer states that the C-390 can carry payloads of up to 26 tons.

The company says the aircraft can fly at up to 470 knots, or about 870 km/h, and has been designed to combine strategic reach with tactical access. It is also certified for operations from temporary and unpaved surfaces, including compacted earth, soil and gravel. That characteristic is relevant to Indian military transport operations, which can require the movement of personnel, equipment and relief supplies into austere or damaged airfields.

Embraer has additionally cited an aircraft trial involving operations from unpaved desert runways with the United Arab Emirates Air Force. The company’s performance claims should nevertheless be viewed as part of a competitive procurement campaign, with final assessments dependent on the IAF’s operational, technical, commercial, industrial and lifecycle evaluation.

Embraer has highlighted availability and mission-completion performance as central elements of its offer. Da Costa Junior said the C-390 fleet was achieving 93 per cent availability and a 99 per cent mission-accomplishment rate.

The C-390 entered service with the Brazilian Air Force in 2019. Portugal began operating the aircraft in 2023, while the fleet subsequently expanded through selections and orders by several European and other international customers.

Embraer and Mahindra have said the platform has been selected by the air forces of Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia and Lithuania. The expanding overseas operator base is important to Embraer’s argument that India could become part of a wider support ecosystem rather than support a fleet in isolation.

In February 2026, Embraer and Mahindra announced plans to work towards establishing MRO capability in India if the C-390 is selected for the IAF program. The proposed facility would be intended to provide in-country maintenance and sustainment throughout the aircraft’s service life. The companies said the planned MRO scope could include base and heavy maintenance, structural inspections and testing, component repair and overhaul, avionics support, and training.

The Mahindra partnership is therefore central to Embraer’s India strategy for the medium transport competition. Mahindra provides the local industrial vehicle through which Embraer intends to pursue production, supply-chain localisation and fleet-support commitments. Embraer provides the aircraft design, global program experience and sustainment knowledge associated with the C-390 Millennium.

Together, the companies are seeking to frame their proposal as more than an aircraft sale.

Their stated offer combines the KC-390 airlifter with a prospective Indian industrial base, local lifecycle support and the potential integration of Indian companies into Embraer’s global supply network. The success of that proposition will depend on the IAF’s assessment of aircraft capability, delivery schedule, operating economics, maintainability, local industrial value and the credibility of the proposed support ecosystem.

ANI