Embraer has signed a new industrial cooperation agreement with Poland's Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 (WZL-2), further developing its partnership with the Polish aerospace company in pursuit of a future order for the KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) outlines plans for cooperation in aircraft maintenance, support services, completion and conversion activities, including external painting and systems integration.
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The agreement builds on a series of initiatives launched over the past year between Embraer and the Polish defense industry. In late 2025, the company signed memorandums of understanding with several companies belonging to Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), Poland's state-owned defense group. Earlier this year, Embraer also brought a KC-390 to Bydgoszcz, where WZL-2 personnel evaluated the aircraft and discussed potential maintenance activities.
Unlike the earlier memorandums, which established a general framework for cooperation, the new agreement identifies specific industrial areas the two companies intend to develop if the partnership moves forward.
WZL-2 is one of Poland's main military aerospace companies and has nearly eight decades of experience maintaining and upgrading combat and transport aircraft operated by the Polish Armed Forces. The company, which belongs to PGZ, currently supports platforms including the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.
Rather than offering only an aircraft, Embraer has been assembling an industrial package intended to position the KC-390 as a strong candidate for Poland's future tactical airlift requirement. The proposal includes local maintenance capabilities, logistics support, technology transfer and participation by the Polish aerospace industry.
The strategy mirrors the approach used in several European countries that have selected the KC-390, where local companies became part of the aircraft's long-term support network.
Poland has not yet launched a formal competition to replace its transport fleet, but the requirement is widely expected as the Polish Air Force continues operating aging C-130 Hercules aircraft. Industrial cooperation is expected to be an important factor in the selection process.
The KC-390 has secured a growing presence across Europe with orders from Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden. Greece is widely regarded as the next NATO member likely to select the aircraft, although no official decision has been announced.
