Greece has signed an agreement to acquire three Embraer KC-390 Millennium aircraft through a government-to-government arrangement with Portugal, while retaining options for three more. The first delivery is scheduled for 2027, according to Defence Industry Europe.
The agreement was signed by Greek and Portuguese defense-acquisition officials in Athens. Greece’s National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said the first aircraft is expected to join the Hellenic Air Force’s 112 Wing at Elefsina in September 2027, according to BankingNews.gr’s report on the signing. That schedule describes a planned delivery and does not establish that the aircraft has entered Greek service.
The three-aircraft purchase is committed in the reported agreement; the additional three aircraft are options rather than confirmed acquisitions. Neither fetched report discloses a contract value, so the available reporting does not establish Greece’s committed spending or the potential cost of exercising the options.
The KC-390 is intended to add airlift and air-to-air refuelling capability to Greece’s fleet. Embraer states that the aircraft can carry a payload of 26 tonnes and fly at 470 knots, and that it can perform missions including cargo and troop transport, airdrops and medical evacuation, as reported by Defence Industry Europe. The aircraft can also be equipped with quick-installation refuelling equipment for tanker or receiver operations.
Dendias said the refuelling capability would initially be applied to Greece’s Rafale and Mirage fighters, followed approximately one year later by F-16 aircraft, BankingNews.gr reports. That sequencing is a stated implementation plan, not evidence that the capability is already operational with the Hellenic Air Force. The agreement also includes Portuguese support for training and knowledge transfer, but the reports do not provide an aircraft-by-aircraft delivery schedule beyond the first planned arrival.