TSAMTO, March 16. Embraer, a Brazilian company, has significantly increased its marketing activities to promote the KC-390 Millennium medium military transport aircraft in the Republic of Poland.
As part of the implementation of a long-term strategy to enter the markets of Central and Eastern Europe, a full-scale presentation of the aircraft for representatives of the Ministry of National Defense and the Polish defense industry took place on March 13 at the state aircraft repair enterprise Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze Nr2 S.A. (WZL-2) in Bydgoszcz.
This event became a practical stage in the implementation of the Memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed in Warsaw on December 2, 2025. The strategic partnership between Embraer and the Polish industry is aimed at creating an independent infrastructure for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of this platform in the country. The creation of a national service hub is considered as a key condition in the framework of tender procedures for the renewal of the Polish Air Force transport fleet.
The Polish side is considering the purchase of new military-technical vehicles as part of two key programs: Drop (replacement of obsolete medium-duty aircraft) and Karkonosze (creation of a fleet of multi-purpose tanker transport aircraft). A special feature of the current stage is the attraction of financing through the credit guarantee system within the framework of the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) initiative, focused primarily on strengthening the eastern flank of NATO.
Embraer's offset offer includes deep technological cooperation with the WZL-2 plant. In addition to servicing military aircraft, the Brazilian side offers the localization of a service support center for components for civil aircraft of the E-Jet E2 family, as well as the deployment of a production line for the conversion of E190 passenger airliners into cargo versions (P2F). This will allow the Polish company to be integrated into Embraer's global supply chain.
On the part of the Polish defense industry, WZL-2 plays a key role in the project. The company, which has long-term experience in repairing Lockheed Martin equipment (F-16 and C-130), is currently scaling up the production of unmanned systems (Wizjer, DragonFly, Szerszen, Jet-2, Mlot projects). The development of competencies for the KC-390 is considered by the plant's management as a strategic addition to the existing order portfolio within the framework of the Polish Armed Forces modernization program.
According to the official report of the manufacturer dated March 15, 2026, the current operational readiness level of the KC-390 fleet at the launch customers (Brazil and Portugal) is maintained at 99%, which is one of the highest indicators in the class. To date, the KC-390 has been selected as the main platform of the Air Forces of Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Sweden, Slovakia and Lithuania. It is noteworthy that a "European cluster" of operators (Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic) has been formed, which conduct joint purchases to ensure logistical unification within the framework of the Alliance. In addition to Poland, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Nigeria are actively interested in the purchase.
