India moves to address fighter jet shortfalls amid rising regional pressures
Delays, dwindling squadrons and global competition spur belated momentum in airpower procurement.
KC-390 Millennium multirole tanker/transport aircraft. (Photo: Embraer)
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has signed a new MoU with the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) for ‘potential strategic collaboration relating to aerospace research’, the two organisations announced on 23 November.
Among the research areas included in the MoU are defence systems, to build on a history of collaboration between Embraer and the NLR on aircraft such as the KC-390 Millennium.
‘In this context, the two companies are already discussing potential opportunities related to automated maintenance procedures,’ Embraer and NLR noted.
The latest announcement follows an MoU between Embraer and the Netherlands Aerospace Group in September 2021 to discuss potential strategic relationships in the fields of aviation and sustainability.
Delays, dwindling squadrons and global competition spur belated momentum in airpower procurement.
The $510 million partnership will see Hanwha invest to co-develop and manufacture the Gray Eagle STOL, with a maiden flight test expected by 2027.
The country was reportedly “months” away from an official aircraft selection, as of mid-March 2025.
The ongoing study was first announced by Embraer in late 2024 with the Brazilian Air Force, with this latest addition announced during the LAAD defence and security exhibition.
The potential sale, approved by the US to the Philippines, is for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, days after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth visited the country.
The acquisition of four C-390 aircraft follows the country’s signing of an MoU in 2023 and formal selection in 2024. It will join the existing contract held by the Netherlands and Austria.