Milwaukee [USA]: Brazil is looking to deepen defence cooperation with India and expand aerospace investments through Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer, Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services Márcio Fernando Elias Rosa has said on October 1, signalling growing momentum in the defence-industrial relationship between the two countries.
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The push comes as Embraer is expanding its industrial footprint in India. The Brazilian aerospace major has partnered with the Mahindra Group for its bid to supply the C-390 Millennium for the Indian Air Force’s proposed 60-aircraft Medium Transport Aircraft programme. The company is also working with Adani Defence & Aerospace on a proposed manufacturing ecosystem for its E175 regional jet in India.
The E175 initiative envisages an assembly line in India followed by phased indigenisation, with cooperation covering aircraft manufacturing, supply chains, aftermarket services and pilot training. Embraer has described India as a strategic market and has been working to expand its local supplier base across defence, commercial and executive aviation.
On the defence side, India and Brazil already have institutional mechanisms for cooperation, including a Joint Defence Committee, a 2+2 Political-Military Dialogue and an India-Brazil Defence Industrial Cooperation Focus Group. The two countries have also explored co-development and co-production of defence equipment.
The growing aerospace engagement therefore extends beyond aircraft sales towards manufacturing, supply-chain development, maintenance and technology cooperation. For Brazil, deeper integration with India offers access to one of the world's largest and fastest-growing aviation and defence markets, while for India, partnerships with Embraer could expand domestic aerospace manufacturing and create opportunities to integrate Indian suppliers into global aircraft programmes.
The developments come amid broader efforts by New Delhi and Brasília to expand bilateral trade and investment. India-Brazil trade reached $10.1 billion in the first seven months of 2026, up 32.9% year-on-year, according to Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services.
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