Airbus now actively marketing A400M to possible new customers

11th July 2014

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The Military Aircraft division of Airbus Defence and Space has begun to actively market its A400M military airlifter to countries outside the aircraft programme’s core partnership States. “We received authorisation to market the plane internationally one year ago,” reported the division’s head of commercial (sic) Antonio Rodriguez Barberán at the Trade Media Briefing in Seville, Spain, last month. “The plane has been touring the world. We are competing in every tender. We are expecting it will become the standard, the reference, in the market in the coming years.”

The company hopes to sell between 300 and 400 A400Ms over the next 30 years, in addition to those ordered by the core partner countries. “We are targeting more than 50% of the world market,” he stated. The success or failure of the A400M is a matter of great importance to the South African aerospace industry, for two local companies are partners in the project and produce important components and parts for the aircraft. These are Aerosud and Denel Aerostructures.

Barberán pointed out that the A400M is unique in its ability to effectively execute both tactical and strategic transport missions. Competitor aircraft are optimised for either the tactical or the strategic roles. Also, the A400M can undertake air-to-air refuelling. He argued that medium powers would find this combination of capabilities particularly appealing. “More and more countries want to be an active part of the international community,” he affirmed. “If they want to be an effective member of the international community [to participate in peacekeeping and/or humanitarian assistance and disaster relief], they will need to equip their air forces with equipment like the A400M.”

“[The period] 2013/14 has been a quantum jump in the A400M programme and has turned hopes into reality,” stated A400M programme head Rafael Tentor-Auñon. “It saw the development of a new aircraft, new propellors and a new engine – a turboprop of 10 000 hp – [7.35 kW, developed by Europrop International]. We’ve all got to be proud of it.”

The first production A400M, the MSN7, was delivered to the first customer, the French Air Force, on August 1 last year. By the end of May this year, three aircraft were in service with two air forces (the other being the Turkish), while 90% of the aircraft’s flight test programme had been finished. The French A400Ms have already undertaken operational missions to Mali, flying troops and equipment from main bases in France to basic forward airfields in the African country.

The final assembly line (FAL) in Seville is now in full ramp-up and will have a maximum production capacity of three aircraft a month. Currently, assembly of one A400M takes about seven months, but this will be reduced to six months when full production is reached.

As of mid-May, there were 14 aircraft in the FAL, with another 20 in various stages of production and long-lead items had been procured for yet another nine aircraft – taking the production process out to aircraft MSN53. Once completed, the aircraft go through a delivery process. (A completed aircraft is not just handed over to the customer; various ground and flight tests must be completed first.) Current orders will ensure production continues until 2024.

By the end of this year, another 12 aircraft should have been delivered to customers, taking total deliveries to 15. The number of operators will have increased to four, with the addition of the German Air Force and the UK Royal Air Force. The core member countries of the A400M programme (and their current orders for the aircraft) are Belgium (7), France (50), Germany (53), Luxembourg (1), Spain (27), Turkey (10), the UK (22) and, outside Europe, Malaysia (4), giving a total of 174 aircraft.

The Military Aircraft division was formed around the previous Airbus Military company. • Keith Campbell attended the Trade Media Briefing in Seville and Madrid in June as a guest of the company.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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