C-390 Millennium: Portugal’s defence minister arrives in Athens for the final signatures on three aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force

A new chapter begins tomorrow, Monday, November 2, 2026, for the Hellenic Air Force’s transport fleet and its Tactical Transport Squadrons, as Portugal’s defence minister travels to Athens.

According to an official announcement by the Ministry of National Defence, Nikos Dendias will receive his Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo, tomorrow morning and sign with him the intergovernmental agreement for the procurement of three Embraer C-390 transport aircraft.

Delegation-level talks will follow on possibilities for cooperation, exchange of know-how and joint technology projects, with emphasis on advanced defence technology, support for the defence industry and innovation. Regional and international security issues will also be discussed. The signing follows Portugal’s approval of the purchase of three KC-390 aircraft for the Greek Air Force.

A “flying multi-tool”

The Air Force’s interest in the C-390 is not recent. As early as 2022, Greek officials had turned their attention to it, with Embraer bringing a C-390 to Elefsina Air Base for flight trials.

In the following years, within Embraer’s international cooperation with other major defence companies, the C-390 has evolved into a true “flying multi-tool”, going beyond the role of a simple transport aircraft. With the appropriate kits and pods it can take on search and rescue, maritime patrol, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering, special operations from improvised or damaged runways, as well as medical evacuation and aerial firefighting.

It should be noted, however, that the Hellenic Air Force General Staff has expressed official interest in electronic warfare missions, with a presentation of SIGINT (signals intelligence) and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) capabilities given by Elbit Systems on July 14, 2026.

Special emphasis has also been placed on the aircraft’s survivability against surface-to-air threats and guided missiles. According to Embraer’s releases, the C-390 has a radar warning receiver (RWR), a laser warning receiver (LWR), a missile approach warning system (MAWS), a countermeasure dispensing system (CMDS) and directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM).