Airbus : Defence and Space wins A400M support contract from France and UK

Airbus Defence and Space has won a contract from France and the UK to provide a wide-ranging and innovative in-service support (ISS) package underpinning the entry into service of the A400M Atlas new-generation airlifter.

The contract was awarded by the UK's procurement agency Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), and the French Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) through the OCCAR international programme management organisation. Elements of the contract, including in particular a pooled spares agreement, have been developed together with the two countries and are expected to lead to a range of joint support activities.

Under this contract, Airbus Defence and Space is performing a wide variety of maintenance, technical, materiel and operational support functions. Airbus Defence and Space Executive Vice President Military Aircraft, Domingo Ureña Raso, said: "We are proud to be able to implement this innovative support solution which provides a solid foundation for the A400M Atlas entry into service.

"It will enable us to deploy best commercial practice in support of an aircraft that we confidently expect will set new standards in reliability, maintainability and availability." The UK and France have ordered respectively 22 and 50 A400M Atlas aircraft.

The A400M is an all-new military airlifter designed to meet the needs of the world's Armed Forces in the 21st Century. Thanks to its advanced technologies, it is able to fly higher, faster and further, while retaining high manoeuvrability, excellent low speed handling , and the abilty to use short and unpaved runways. It combines both tactical and strategic/logistic missions. With its cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize equipment needed today for both military and humanitarian disaster relief missions, it can bring this material quickly and directly to where it is most needed. Conceived to be highly reliable, dependable, and survivable, the multipurpose A400M can do more with less, implying smaller fleets and less investment from the operator. The A400M is the most cost efficient and versatile airlifter ever conceived and absolutely unique in its capabilities.

Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus Group formed by combining the business activities of Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military. The new division is Europe's number one defence and space enterprise, the second largest space business worldwide and among the top ten global defence enterprises. It employs some 40,000 employees generating revenues of approximately €14 billion per year.

This news release complements a release issued jointly by the DGA and DE&S.