Embraer ended the third quarter of 2026 with a record US$35.7 billion backlog, but a closer look at the figures shows that military programs rather than commercial aircraft accounted for much of the increase over the past year.
The Brazilian manufacturer’s total backlog rose by US$4.4 billion from US$31.3 billion in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 14%. Defense & Security alone contributed US$2.2 billion, exactly half of that growth, after its backlog jumped from US$3.9 billion to US$6.1 billion.
Commercial Aviation remains Embraer’s largest business by backlog, at US$15.8 billion, but grew by only US$600 million, or 4%, over the same period. Executive Aviation added US$900 million to reach US$8.2 billion, while Services & Support increased by US$700 million to US$5.6 billion.
The change has altered the composition of Embraer’s order book. Commercial Aviation accounted for almost 49% of the company backlog a year ago and now represents about 44%. Defense increased its share from roughly 12% to 17%.
C-390 gains weight
Much of the change in Defense can be traced to the C-390 Millennium military transport. Embraer had 30 C-390s remaining in its firm backlog at the end of the third quarter of 2025. That figure has risen to 43 aircraft.
The largest addition came from the United Arab Emirates, which signed a firm order for 10 C-390s in May, with options for another 10. The agreement became the largest international C-390 order placed by a single country and helped lift Embraer’s Defense backlog to US$6.1 billion during the second quarter.
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Other contracts have also changed the order book. Sweden ordered four C-390s and Portugal added a sixth aircraft to its existing fleet, while Colombia signed for two aircraft during the latest quarter. The backlog also includes two aircraft for Uzbekistan, although that customer was only identified in 2026 after previously being undisclosed.
The current C-390 backlog comprises 10 aircraft each for Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, five for the Netherlands, four each for Austria and Sweden, three for South Korea, two each for Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan, and one for the Czech Republic.
The shift is also visible when compared with the A-29 Super Tucano. Embraer had 31 A-29s remaining in its backlog a year ago; it now has 25. The number of C-390s awaiting delivery moved in the opposite direction, from 30 to 43.
More military orders could follow
The US$6.1 billion Defense backlog does not yet include every C-390 commitment announced by Embraer. Slovakia and Lithuania have each selected three aircraft, but the six transports remain outside the backlog because their contracts have not yet become effective.
Defense has also become substantially larger relative to Embraer’s other activities. Its backlog is now greater than Services & Support’s US$5.6 billion and is approaching three-quarters of the US$8.2 billion accumulated by Executive Aviation.
Commercial aircraft still account for the largest individual portion of Embraer’s US$35.7 billion backlog. The division ended September with 479 firm aircraft awaiting delivery, including 282 E195-E2s, 34 E190-E2s and 163 E175s. But its 4% year-over-year increase shows that the latest company-wide record has been driven disproportionately by businesses outside commercial aviation, with the expansion of the C-390 order book playing the largest role.
