Greece Interested in Embraer C-390 Planes Amid Major Defense Modernization
Greece's Potential Acquisition of Embraer C-390 Military Planes
Greek Defence Minister's Statement
ATHENS, May 7 (Reuters) - Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday that Greece was interested in purchasing Brazilian-made Embraer C-390 military planes partly produced in Portugal.
Dendias, who is paying a two-day visit to Portugal, was speaking after meeting his Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo, in Lisbon.
Discussion Details and Modernization Plans
"We had the opportunity to discuss many issues ... one of them was the possibility of purchasing the C-390 plane," Dendias said.
He did not give more details on the number of the planes or the price. Greece, which currently operates both the C-130 and C-27, plans to spend about 28 billion euros ($33 billion) by 2036 to modernise its armed forces as it emerges from a 2009-2018 debt crisis.
Portugal's Role in the C-390 Program
OGMA's Industrial Contribution
Portugal's OGMA, 65%-owned by Embraer with the remainder held by the Portuguese state, is a key industrial partner in the C‑390 programme, producing parts of the central fuselage that are shipped to Brazil for final assembly.
Portugal as a C-390 Customer
First European and NATO Order
The Iberian country was the first European and NATO country to place an order for the C-390, in 2019, and has received some units in previous years.
($1 = 0.8494 euros)
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas, additional reporting by Sergio Goncalves in Lisbon)
