Latin American fixed-wing capability gaps create openings for industry competition
The Embraer C-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force for a tanker/transport aircraft. (Photo: US Air Force)
Transport and tanker aircraft represent a growing opportunity in Latin America as countries in the region increasingly look to replace ageing fleets and reduce dependence on second-hand platforms.
Latin America is emerging as a key growth market in the crewed air domain, driven in part by the current reliance of many of the region’s air forces on second-hand platforms from the US or aged Soviet equipment. As the international community sees a renewed interest in rearmament, Shephard believes that Latin America will also dedicate greater resources towards modernising its own militaries.
As a key transport aircraft, the C-390 (previously known as the KC-390) produced by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer represents an important area of competition for industry in the region. As of June 2026, Shephard forecasts that Bolivia, Colombia and Chile have open
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