The Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania has announced that the Embraer C-390 Millennium has been chosen as country’s next-generation military transport aircraft. This strategic decision, which paves the way for the acquisition of three C-390 marks a significant step in enhancing Lithuania’s operational readiness and interoperability with other NATO members.
This strategic decision paves the way for the acquisition and marks a significant step in enhancing Lithuania’s interoperability with other NATO members. Â
“We have carefully studied the various types of military transport aircraft available on the market, and our assessment has clearly shown that the C-390 Millennium is the most suitable platform to meet our national military operational requirements. Therefore, Lithuania has chosen Embraer Company for further negotiations and expects to finalize the acquisition contract in the coming months,” said  Loreta Maskaliovien?  Vice Minister of National Defense of Lithuania.
“We are honored to have been selected by the Lithuanian authorities. This selection reflects Embraer’s commitment to strengthening defense capabilities in Europe. In this regard, the C-390, with its versatility, performance, and NATO interoperability, is the ideal platform — readily available to carry out the most demanding missions,” said Bosco Da Costa Junior, President & CEO of Embraer Defense & Security
This selection aligns Lithuania with a growing number of European and NATO allies, including Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden and Slovakia, who have also chosen the C-390 to modernize their air forces. By adopting the C-390 Millennium, Lithuania will significantly enhance its operational capabilities while benefiting from the ecosystem and synergies present in Europe in terms of support and training.
Since entering operation with the Brazilian Air Force in 2019, the Portuguese Air Force in 2023 and, most recently with the Hungarian Air Force in 2024, the C-390 Millennium has proven its capability, reliability, and performance. The current fleet in operation has demonstrated a mission capability rate of 93% and mission completion rates above 99%.
The Bottom Line
The C-390 is increasingly replacing the C-130 as the transport of choice for smaller NATO countries, and is gaining momentum as those countries increase their defense spending. We expect several other NATO states to also order the C-390 as the logical multi-role transport replacement for the aging C-130.
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