President and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto outlined the proposal during Embraer’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call. He described the U.S. facility as a potential third C-390 line, following the existing operation in Brazil and a second line under consideration in India.
“Another opportunity we are working on is with the United States,” Gomes Neto said. The campaign, “depending on the size of the order,” could allow Embraer to establish the additional assembly line and raise KC-390 production further, he added.
Embraer did not identify the prospective U.S. customer or disclose the number of aircraft involved. Gomes Neto made clear that the industrial plan would proceed only if the company secured a sufficiently large order.
The proposal signals how Embraer is linking future C-390 capacity to major national procurement campaigns. Local production could give the company a stronger industrial position in competitions where domestic manufacturing and supply-chain participation influence purchasing decisions.
Embraer expects its Brazilian facilities to reach annual production capacity of 10 C-390 aircraft by 2030. Potential assembly lines in India and the United States would allow the company to move beyond that level without placing the full expansion burden on its Brazilian operations.
India is the more advanced of the two international production opportunities discussed by management. Embraer is pursuing the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft programme, which Gomes Neto said could cover between 60 and 80 C-390s.
The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mahindra and is awaiting the programme’s request for proposals. Embraer plans to submit an offer that includes a localisation strategy, with a successful campaign potentially supporting the second C-390 assembly line outside Brazil.
The capacity review follows continued growth in the aircraft’s international order book. The United Arab Emirates ordered 10 C-390s with options for another 10 during the quarter, marking the platform’s first selection in the Middle East and its largest international order to date.
Embraer also announced Colombia as the 13th country to select the KC-390 after the quarter ended. Gomes Neto said geopolitical conditions were accelerating military procurement campaigns and supporting demand for the company’s defence products.
The Defence and Security division generated $304 million in second-quarter revenue, up 38% from a year earlier, supported by stronger KC-390 revenue recognition. Its backlog increased 42% year over year, while the book-to-bill ratio reached 2.6 over the preceding 12 months.
Management expects the KC-390’s commercial expansion to continue over the next several years. Any U.S. production decision, however, will depend on Embraer converting its current campaign into an order large enough to support a dedicated assembly operation.
