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Embraer and Adani Defence & Aerospace announce strategic partnership to establish regional transport aircraft ecosystem in India
January 27, 2026
Adani Defence & Aerospace and Embraer announce a strategic partnership to develop, manufacture, and sustain the regional transport aircraft ecosystem in India
New Delhi, Jan 27, 2026 – Embraer (NYSE: EMBJ / B3: EMBJ3), a global leader in aerospace, and Adani Defence & Aerospace, a leading player in India’s aerospace and defence and the flagship company of Adani Enterprises Ltd, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop an integrated regional transport aircraft ecosystem in India. The companies aim to collaborate on opportunities in aircraft manufacturing, supply chain, aftermarket services, and pilot training.
The collaborative industrial partnership will aim to establish an assembly line, followed by a phased increase in indigenization to advance India’s Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) program, in alignment with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and the UDAN regional connectivity vision.
“India is a pivotal market for Embraer, and this partnership combines our aerospace expertise with Adani’s strong industrial capabilities and commitment to indigenisation,” said Arjan Meijer, President and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “Together, we will evaluate the most viable, advanced, and efficient solutions in support of India’s RTA ambitions and their potential for implementation.”
This potential partnership will leverage Embraer’s deep engineering and aircraft manufacturing expertise alongside Adani’s aviation value-chain footprint, which includes airport infrastructure, aerospace manufacturing, MRO services, and pilot training.
“Regional aviation is the backbone of economic expansion. With initiatives like UDAN transforming air connectivity across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the need for an indigenous regional aviation ecosystem has become critical,” said Jeet Adani, Director, Adani Defence & Aerospace. “This partnership will also strengthen strategic relations between India and Brazil, bringing complementary capabilities together.”
The proposed ecosystem is geared towards supporting domestic demand while generating significant direct and indirect employment across engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and support services.
“We are shaping India’s regional transport aircraft ecosystem, a bold stride toward Aatmanirbhar aviation that bridges urban-rural divides, generates high-skill employment, and elevates India’s position in the global aerospace industry,” said Ashish Rajvanshi, President & CEO, Adani Defence & Aerospace.
Embraer has a growing footprint and long history in India, with nearly 50 Embraer aircraft and 11 aircraft types currently operating across commercial, defense, and business aviation. Embraer aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force include the Legacy 600 aircraft and the ‘Netra’ AEW&C aircraft based on the Embraer ERJ145 platform, while Star Air operates a fleet of 13 E175 and ERJ145 aircraft.
Adani Defence & Aerospace is India’s largest integrated private defence and aerospace player, building critical capabilities across domains and advancing indigenous aerospace and UAV manufacturing aligned with national security priorities and global requirements. With the country’s largest MRO ecosystem and a rapidly scaling pilot training platform, Adani Defence is strengthening India’s aviation value chain end-to-end. Its diversified portfolio spans aircraft, unmanned systems, avionics, weapons, and sustainment, anchored in long-term capability development and the pursuit of national self-reliance.
Images: https://embraer.imagerelay.com/sb/4553a6c8-0830-4aca-98fc-a4b859dfa589/adani2026
About Embraer
A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer has businesses in Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense and Security, and Agricultural Aviation. The company designs, develops, manufactures, and markets aircraft and systems, providing Services and Support to customers after-sales.
Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 9,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.
Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 150 seats and the main exporter of high- value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service, and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
About Adani Defence & Aerospace
Adani Defence & Aerospace, part of the Adani Group, is India’s largest integrated private defence and aerospace company, building critical capabilities across land, air and sea. The company focuses on the design, development, manufacturing and sustainment of a wide range of defence and aerospace platforms and systems, including airborne surveillance and AEW&C, unmanned systems, arms and ammunition, electronic warfare and avionics, and advanced munition solutions.
With a strong emphasis on indigenous lifecycle sustainment, MRO and aviation training, Adani Defence is developing a resilient defence industrial ecosystem through strategic collaborations with credible global partners, start-ups and MSMEs. Aligned with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the company remains committed to long-term capability development, operational readiness and strengthening India’s national security.
For more information, please visit www.adanidefence.com
About Adani Enterprises Ltd
Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) is the flagship company of Adani Group, one of India’s largest business organisations. Over the years, Adani Enterprises has focused on building emerging infrastructure businesses, contributing to nation-building and divesting them into separate listed entities. Having successfully built sizeable and scalable businesses like Adani Ports & SEZ, Adani Energy Solutions, Adani Power, Adani Green Energy, Adani Total Gas and Adani Wilmar, the company has contributed to make India self-reliant with our robust businesses. This has also led to significant returns to our shareholders for three decades.
The next generation of its strategic business investments are centered around green hydrogen ecosystem, airport management, data center, roads and primary industries like copper and petrochem - all of which have significant scope for value unlocking.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Aniruddho Chakraborty ([email protected]) at Embraer,
Gaurab Dasgupta ([email protected]) at H+K India (for Embraer)
Sukriti Jain ([email protected]) at Adani Defence & Aerospace
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