Embraer is offering to equip Poland’s air force with its KC-390 tactical transport and tanker, while also viewing the nation as a potential location for a new European production facility.
In what it describes as a “long-term strategic move”, the Brazilian airframer says it is “looking at partners for parts manufacturing and for a potential final assembly line” for the twinjet type.
“Embraer sees in Poland the right strategic partner to join forces and build state of the art, latest generation military equipment, creating high value jobs,” the company says. “The aircraft assembly and associated aftermarket ecosystem (including maintenance and training) could result in value creation of close to $1 billion and 600 jobs,” it indicates.
“In offering the KC-390 Millennium to Poland, a leading NATO nation, we have the opportunity to engage with Poland’s well established and expert industrial and defence community,” says Embraer Defense & Security chief commercial officer Frederico Lemos.
“Poland is for us more than a potential customer, but a true operational and industrial long-term partner, and the perfect location for the European assembly line we want to develop,” he adds.
Embraer’s current operator list for the C/KC-390 includes NATO nations Hungary and Portugal. Fellow alliance members the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have ordered the type, which also has been selected by Slovakia and Sweden.
Aviation analytics company Cirium records the Polish air force as currently operating four ex-US Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transports: a trio of E-model examples each aged 53 years, and an H-model aircraft originally delivered in 1992. The service has a further four C-130Hs awaiting introduction via the US government’s Excess Defense Articles programme.
Warsaw, which currently tops NATO’s defence spending by gross domestic product, at 4%, has a long-held need to obtain an in-flight refuelling capability, and in late 2024 identified a need for additional transport capacity.
Last December, it also signed an upgrade deal for its 16-strong fleet of Airbus Defence & Space C295 medium transports.
