Facility planned under Make-in-India push to support future Indian Air Force medium transport aircraft fleet
Key Developments
- Mahindra Group has announced a partnership with Embraer to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India for the C‑390 Millennium.
- The facility will be set up if the aircraft is selected in the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft programme.
- The project aims to ensure in-country maintenance and higher operational readiness of the fleet.
What The Facility Will Do
The proposed MRO centre will offer a full range of services, including:
- Heavy and base maintenance
- Structural inspections and testing
- Component repair and overhaul
- Avionics support
- Crew and technical training
Officials say local maintenance capability will improve aircraft availability and strengthen India’s operational autonomy over the platform’s lifecycle.
About The Aircraft
The C-390 Millennium is a modern multi-mission transport aircraft that can:
- Carry payloads up to about 26 tonnes
- Perform troop & cargo transport
- Conduct airdrops, medical evacuation, firefighting and humanitarian missions
- Operate from temporary or unpaved runways
- Perform air-to-air refuelling as tanker or receiver
Several countries in Europe as well as South Korea and Uzbekistan already operate the aircraft.
Bigger Defence Manufacturing Push
- The two companies had earlier signed an agreement in October 2025 to produce the aircraft in India under the Make-in-India initiative.
- Embraer is also exploring India as a regional maintenance hub for global operators of the aircraft.
