UAE purchases 10 military aircraft from Brazil as BRICS ties grow
The purchase of C-390 Millennium aircraft for the Emirati air force comes as the UAE seeks to build up its military capabilities amid the war with Iran and boost ties with BRICS member states.
The United Arab Emirates purchased 10 military aircraft from a Brazilian firm on Monday, reflecting a desire both to improve capabilities during the regional war and to cultivate relations with the BRICS bloc.
What happened: The Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer announced that it was awarded a contract to sell 10 C-390 Millennium aircraft to the UAE’s Tawazun Council for Defense Enablement. The contract additionally entails maintenance and support services that will be developed in collaboration with an unspecified Emirati defense firm. The purchase of the C-390 Millennium planes, which is the first by a Middle Eastern state, will help Emirati forces with cargo and troop transport, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance and medical evacuation operations, Embraer said in a statement.
Embraer said the planes have “seamless interoperability” with systems and infrastructure in both the UAE and unspecified partner states, and can operate on unpaved runways. The UAE actively delivers humanitarian aid, including to Gaza and Sudan.
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the signing of a contract to purchase C-390 Millennium aircraft for the UAE Air Force.
— Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement (@TawazunCouncil) May 4, 2026
This came during a visit made by His Highness to the… pic.twitter.com/gMC9qaGnAf
The signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi was attended by UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the Emirati news agency said. The UAE can purchase up to 10 more of the aircraft, Embraer said.
Embraer, based in Sao Paolo, manufactures aircraft for military and commercial purposes. It has an office in Dubai, in addition to others in North America, Asia and Africa.
Why it matters: The UAE has been increasing its cooperation with BRICS member states, including Brazil, since joining the bloc in early 2024. Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed hosted his Brazilian counterpart, Lula da Silva, in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 24, just four days before the US-Israel-Iran war began. The two discussed cooperation on trade, advanced technology and renewable energy, among other fields, as well as developments in the Middle East.
The two leaders reviewed talks between the UAE and the South American trade bloc Mercosur on a free trade deal, with the Emirates News Agency reporting that the negotiations were in the “final stage.”
A Brazilian Air Force pilot with his Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft, escorted by two Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters, performs during the F-Air Colombia 2025 airshow in Rionegro, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on July 11, 2025. (JAIME SALDARRIAGA/AFP via Getty Images)
Trade between the two countries remains robust. In 2024, Brazil was the UAE’s largest trading partner in Latin America, while the UAE ranked as Brazil’s second-largest partner in the Middle East, according to the UAE Foreign Ministry.
Bilateral flows are heavily weighted in Brazil’s favor. The UAE exported $926 million to Brazil in 2024 — roughly half of it refined petroleum — while Brazil shipped $4.54 billion in goods to the UAE, led by raw sugar, poultry and frozen beef, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
In 2023, the UAE state-owned defense technology firm Edge Group acquired a stake in the Brazilian high-tech weapons company SIATT.
Cooperation has continued through the current war, and Edge Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian Navy last month on cyber protection capabilities cooperation.
Know more: The Emirates has been targeted more than any other Gulf state in the Iran war, with air defenses engaging over 560 missiles and more than 2,250 drones, according to the Defense Ministry. Despite a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, the UAE said Iranian missiles hit its Fujairah oil complex on Monday.
Last week, the State Department approved a $147.6 million sale of the APKWS rocket systems to the UAE as part of a larger weapons sale to Gulf states.
The UAE’s largest air installation is the Al Dhafra Air Base, which hosts around 3,500 US military personnel.
