Brazil is expected to renew its push for the C-390 Millennium aircraft for the Indian Air Force’s medium transport aircraft programme on the sidelines of the 18th Brics Summit, people aware of the matter said on Thursday.
The three other Indian firms have not yet announced partnerships to advance the project. The MTA contest aligns with the government’s Make in India initiative to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector; the winner will set up a production line for the planes in India. Neto met civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu and discussed Embraer’s Make-in-India plans and the growing opportunities for collaboration.
TASL has tied up with US firm Lockheed Martin, which offered its C-130J Super Hercules aircraft for the MTA contest, while the Mahindra Group has teamed up with Embraer, which pitched its C-390 Millennium aircraft to India.
“The confidence of global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in India’s growing aerospace ecosystem and reliance on Indian manufacturers as key suppliers for global aviation supply chains is encouraging,” Naidu wrote on X on Thursday.
José Serrador Neto, Global Vice President of Institutional Engagement, is leading the Embraer delegation. The tender was issued to five Indian companies: Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), Mahindra Group, Adani Defence & Aerospace, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Reliance Defence. Senior executives from Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer, part of the business delegation accompanying foreign minister Mauro Vieira, are expected to meet senior Indian government officials during the summit to discuss the company’s C-390 offering and plans to expand the regional aviation segment with Embraer E-Jets, the people said, asking not to be named. In August, the Indian defence ministry issued a tender worth around ₹ 1 lakh crore to buy up to 60 MTA aircraft to boost the IAF’s airlift capabilities. The IAF, the world’s fourth-largest, is looking for a new transport aircraft with an 18-to-30-tonne cargo-carrying capacity to meet its growing airlift needs.
