Greece Signs for Up to Six KC-390 Millennium Tankers

Athens inks a €600 million deal with Brazil's Embraer — via Lisbon — adding a jet tanker to the Hellenic Air Force for the first time.

By The Defense Desk

Greece has finalized a contract for three KC-390 Millennium aircraft, with options for three more, in a deal worth roughly €600 million ($672 million). [2]

[1] The purchase marks two firsts for the Hellenic Air Force: its first jet transport and its first dedicated air-to-air refueling tanker. [1] Once fielded, the Millennium will refuel Greek fighter jets through a hose-and-drogue system. [1]

[2] The aircraft carries up to 26 tons of payload, cruises at 470 knots, and can operate from unpaved runways — capabilities that swayed Athens to replace its aging Lockheed Martin C-130H fleets with the Millennium. [2] [1] Colombia and the United Arab Emirates also signed deals for the type this year, making Greece the third new customer this year. [1]

The deal signals something broader: a steady realignment of European airlift toward a single Brazilian-built platform, stitched together through bilateral government agreements rather than traditional bloc procurement.

[1]

This choice underscores the trust and confidence that leading NATO members place in our aircraft.Bosco Da Costa Junior