Lockheed Martin’s indirect reply after Greece signed for the KC-390: “More than 2,700 C-130s built. One competitor? Fewer than 20”

Shortly after Greece signed for the KC-390 Millennium, Lockheed Martin responded with a post on its official X account, implying that the C-130’s competitor has been produced in very few aircraft. “More than 2,700 C-130s have been built. One competitor? Fewer than 20,” the American company’s post says. It was published on Monday, November 2, at 15:00 Greek time, accompanied by a video.

Lockheed Martin continues: “Competitors can promise the future. The advantage belongs to those who can build, scale and deliver.” The post does not explicitly name Embraer or Greece. By early Tuesday it had about 289,000 views.

The Greek choice

The same day Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and his Portuguese counterpart Nuno Melo, who was on an official visit to Greece, signed the intergovernmental agreement for the procurement of three KC-390s, with an option for three more. The purchase is made through Portugal, which had approved the procurement on October 14, and the first aircraft is expected in 2027. Embraer confirmed in an announcement that Greece is acquiring up to six aircraft, as we wrote in our report on the signing.

The KC-390s will replace the Hellenic Air Force’s C-130s, the oldest of which are of the early C-130B version. The choice of the Brazilian aircraft appears to have prevailed over earlier intentions to buy new C-130Js from Lockheed Martin. The KC-390 has a cargo capacity of 26 tonnes, more than the C-130J, even in its stretched C-130J-30 version. With the KC-390 the Air Force will gain, for the first time, an aerial refuelling capability, initially for the Rafale and the Mirage.

The European orders

With Greece, the KC-390 has now been selected by seven European countries: Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Greece. Outside Europe it has been ordered by South Korea, Colombia, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan, while Brazil, the launch customer of the type, has ordered 19 aircraft.

Embraer sees in the deal a further strengthening of the aircraft’s position as the preferred airlift solution among NATO allies. “We are greatly honoured by Greece’s decision to acquire the KC-390 Millennium. This choice underlines the confidence of leading NATO members in our aircraft,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. Lockheed Martin’s post, by contrast, gives the advantage to those who “can build, scale and deliver”.