If I’m not mistaken, it’s still just a cooperation deal. It‘s not a joint venture company to manufacture C-390 in India, right?
It may evolve into some kind of joint/offset/local production after some initial orders from Brazilian line, we will have to see.
I mean the requirement is 60 - 80 a/c for IAF and embraer is busy ramping up its own production from ~ 6 to 12 per year (by 2030) right now and then more later perhaps (there is good interest in the a/c in European market for example).
Mahindra has a market cap of ~ 50 billion USD. Its not too shabby and they have made a footprint already in aerospace components and some light aircraft:
mahindraaerospace.com
It also got fuselage contract of those airbus heli (H125) from the TATA-Airbus JV on that (Tata Aerospace is final integrator etc).
TATA group for reference has a market cap around ~430 billion USD and past that heli thing and other things it has with Boeing and others, it will locally manufacture 40 of the 56 C-295 order (after 16 imported from airbus europe). The C-295 probably gets repeated orders later too.
But just to give an idea this kind of thing could happen with Embraer-Mahindra eventually. We will have to see.
I mean that's what they saying here:
Embraer and Mahindra Group will work closely with stakeholders in the country and engage with India’s military and aerospace ecosystem to identify opportunities for local manufacturing, assembly facilities, supply chain and MRO activities. The long-term ambition is to position India as a manufacturing and support hub for the C-390 Millennium aircraft, serving both domestic and regional requirements.
Embraer and Mahindra Group Forge Strategic Alliance to Introduce the C-390 Millennium to India
www.mahindra.com
Here's the context for MTA:
Embraer opens its new India HQ and partners with Mahindra to offer the C-390 Millennium for Indian Air Force Medium Transport Aircraft.
aerospaceglobalnews.com
India’s MTA requirement is intended to replace ageing tactical workhorses such as the Antonov An-32 and Avro HS-748, and to modernise the airlift fleet with types in the 18–30-tonne payload class. The Ministry of Defence is expected to issue a tender soon for 60–80 aircraft, and several global manufacturers are already positioning their proposals.
Competing offerings present a mix of continuity, capability and cost trade-offs:
- Ilyushin IL-276 (Russia/HAL) – offers fleet commonality but faces financial and geopolitical challenges.
- Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules – proven reliability but limited local industrial participation.
- Airbus A400M Atlas – delivers a higher payload and advanced features, but at a significantly higher cost.
The C-390 Millennium is Embraer’s most advanced military transport aircraft, capable of carrying a 26-tonne payload, more than any other medium transport in its class, while flying faster (470 knots) and farther. It can operate from short or unpaved runways and perform diverse missions including cargo and troop transport, air-drops, medical evacuation, firefighting, search-and-rescue and humanitarian relief.