Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, the national body responsible for enabling and regulating the UAE’s defence and security industrial ecosystem, has awarded a contract to Embraer for the procurement of ten firm C-390 Millennium aircraft, with options for a further ten, to enhance the country’s operational airlift capabilities in collaboration with a UAE-based defence company.
As part of the programme, comprehensive MRO capabilities, alongside after-sales support services for the C-390 Millennium, will be developed in partnership with a national company.
Following an extensive evaluation process, including a detailed test campaign under UAE operational conditions, the UAE Air Force and Air Defence selected the C-390 Millennium as the platform best suited to meet its mission requirements while optimising operational efficiency and lifecycle costs.
The aircraft will support a wide range of missions, including cargo and troop transport, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation, operations from unprepared runways, and interoperability with national, allied and partner forces.
The agreement represents the largest single-country international order to date for the C-390 Millennium and marks the aircraft’s first success in the Middle East, highlighting its suitability for modern air forces operating in complex environments.
