DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: French Army Expects First A400M Airlifter By July 14

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: French Army Expects First A400M Airlifter By July 14
* Airbus Military targets 4 deliveries in 2013, 10 in 2014, 21 in 2015
* CEO hopes A400M to fly at Paris Air Show
* CEO says no signs of nations changing A400M orders

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 18, 2013: The French army hopes to receive its first Airbus A400M military transport aircraft in time for the country's annual Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, a Defence Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

The aircraft, which is about five years behind the original schedule, is also expected to win certification for military use in time for the biennial Paris Air Show starting on June 17, Pierre Bayle said.

The head of EADS unit Airbus Military, Domingo Urena-Raso, confirmed that this timetable was "absolutely reasonable," adding that he expected a total of four deliveries this year, 10 next year and 21 the following year.

France will be the first of the seven nations behind the 20 billion euro ($25.7 billion) project to take delivery of the European military transport and heavy cargo plane. Germany is due to receive its first A400M at the end of 2014.

France has ordered 50 of the planes, and Germany 53. The other countries involved are Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and Britain.

"Delivery before July 14 would enable a French crew to pilot the French plane above the parade," Bayle said, referring to the traditional Bastille Day military procession.

Airbus Military had said earlier this year it expected to deliver the first of the airlifters to France in the second quarter.

The four turboprop-engine A400M can carry a helicopter, two armoured vehicles or 116 paratroopers. It can land on short, gravel airstrips, making it suitable for transporting troops and equipment to theatres such as Mali or Afghanistan.

The plane has been hit by delays and billions of euros of cost overruns that led to a multinational bailout.

"The A400M got off to a bit of a bumpy start, to say the least, but it's making good progress," Urena-Raso said, adding that there were "no signs" that any of the nations planned to reduce their orders.

He said he hoped the aircraft would fly at the Paris Air Show, adding it had been performing very well in test flights.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
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DTN News: A400M Buyers To Renegotiate Troubled Plane Deal

DTN News: A400M Buyers To Renegotiate Troubled Plane Deal *Source: DTN News / Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) CASTELLET, France - July 25, 2009: European NATO nations agreed on Friday to renegotiate the cost and scale of a 20 billion euro defence contract with planemaker Airbus after technical problems and cost overruns plagued development of its A400M military plane. The A400M assembly at the Seville plant of EADS Spain started in Q1 2007. Airbus plans to manufacture thirty aircraft per year. The major assemblies arrive by Airbus Beluga transporters. The four EuroProp TP400-D6 flight test engines have been delivered in late February 2008 for the first A400M. According to EADS the first "static tests" of a dedicated A400M complete structure were started on 14 March in Spain. The decision to open formal contract talks between a joint procurement agency and Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA) ends months of prevarication over the future of Europe's biggest defence project, which involves upwards of 4,000 production jobs. "It is good news. It is very positive for the programme and everyone who wants this plane," EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois told Reuters in a telephone interview. "There is now a framework for negotiations and these will not be easy, but on the other hand matters are now clear and well-defined and on the right tracks," he added. Politicians also expressed optimism. "I am convinced this programme will be relaunched, which will be good news for the trade balance of our countries because I am convinced it has enormous export potential," French Defence Minister Herve Morin told a news conference after talks in southern France. Britain, which had threatened to pull out of the project because of delays in supporting its operations in Afghanistan, has agreed to enter the renegotiation "on an equal footing" with it six partners, Defence Procurement Minister Quentin Davies told Reuters. "I hope we can save the programme," he added. Defence sources predicted this week that Britain would ease doubts over its future in the project. The A400M is a heavy transport aircraft designed to carry up to 32 tonnes of troops and equipment over distances of up to 8,000 km (5,000 miles). Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey ordered a total of 180 of the planes in 2003 in a record pan-European contract. Malaysia and South Africa ordered 12. France was due to take delivery of the first plane in 2009 but EADS now says the earliest it can deliver a plane is 2013.

The first flight is expected at end-2009 or early 2010, two years late. Ministers said they would aim for broad agreement by mid-October and hope to sign a deal around the end of the year. A new ministerial meeting will be in Germany in October. DEMANDS ON INDUSTRY Friday's decision follows months of recriminations over the cause of delays. The outcome could affect efforts to project a joint European defence identity and thousands of aerospace jobs. Countries which face pressure on defence spending are reluctant to spend more to help solve A400M development problems, which defence sources say could mean reducing the amount of planes on order. Morin said both financial conditions and the amount of capacity, or planes, would be open for renegotiation. He said nations would be "demanding" with EADS to ensure there were no further problems. EADS said it was fully committed to finding an agreement that is technically and contractually acceptable to both sides. Officials say the Airbus parent could face a hefty bill to help Britain and France fill gaps in troop transport capacity in Afghanistan while development problems are ironed out. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a joint declaration this month that EADS (EAD.PA) must face the consequences of delivery delays. Officials close to the talks said this constituted a rebuff to EADS efforts to persuade government to help fund troubled engine development and other systems or waive delivery fines. Nations have so far spent 5.7 billion euros on the plane, which EADS would have to repay if the project were cancelled. Depending on the outcome, it may still have to pay penalties for late delivery as well as help fund stop-gap measures like renting Boeing (BA.N) C-17s or Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) C-130Js. EADS, which reports earnings next Tuesday, has taken provisions of over 2 billion euros for A400M delays and analysts say it faces more charges. EADS shares closed up 0.9 percent at 12.98 euros on Friday. The stock has risen around 8 percent since the start of 2009, having fallen 45 percent last year.

DTN News: European Nations Ministers Delay Decision On Airbus A400M By A Month

DTN News: European Nations Ministers Delay Decision On Airbus A400M By A Month *Sources: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) SEVILLE, Spain - June 23, 2009: Defence ministers from the seven European nations engaged in building the troubled Airbus A400M military plane agreed Monday to postpone until next month a decision on whether to renegotiate the contract. "We have reached an agreement to extend the deadline by one month to look into the issues, in particular the financial questions with the company," French Defence Minister Herve Morin said. The ministers from Germany, France, Britain, Spain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg had gathered in Seville, southern Spain, on Monday to decide whether to grant a six-month delay to renegotiate the A400M contract with Airbus, a subsidiary of European aerospace giant EADS. (L to R) Defence ministers from France Herv Morin, Spain Carme Chacon, Turkey Vecdi Gonul, Luxembourg Luc Frieden and Britain Kuentin Davis pose in front of an Airbus A400M military plane during the meeting of defence ministers from the seven European nations engaged in building the troubled Airbus A400M military plane on June 22, 2009 in Sevilla. The ministers agreed to postpone until next month a decision on whether to renegotiate the contract of the Airbus A400M military plane. The A400M transporter was initially scheduled to start being delivered at the end of 2009 but the programme has suffered from delays of at least three years and clients have threatened to cancel their orders. Deliveries of the A400M transporter were scheduled to start at the end of 2009, but the program has suffered from delays of at least three years, and clients have threatened to cancel their orders. The seven countries initially had the possibility to cancel their orders as of April 1 because of the delays, but EADS negotiated a three-month extension to present a new delivery timetable. That extension was due to expire at the end of this month but is now extended until the end of July. France and Germany were in favor of a six-month delay to renegotiate the contract, but Britain expressed concern at the additional cost of such a move. "For our British colleagues, it was out of the question," Morin said. "It is better to avoid a complete blockage, and I have proposed that we have this delay of one additional month," he said. He proposed that the ministers meet again in late July to allow time to gather the "elements that it is hoped will allow us to be able to commit to a renegotiation of the contract and allow the continuation of the program." The A400M programme is a direct result of a commonly expressed need by European Air Forces for a new generation military airlifter. The scope of this initiative to jointly specify and procure an aircraft of a common definition remains unique at this stage. European NATO members issued a Request for Proposal in September 1997. It was to respond to this RFP that the aerospace industries of the concerned nations came together in the partnership now known as Airbus Military. June 2001 saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which represented a major milestone towards the industrial launch of the A400M. In May 2003, the contract was signed between Airbus Military Sociedad Limitada and OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d'Armement), representing Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and United Kingdom for a total of 180 aircraft. In April 2005 South Africa ordered eight aircraft, followed in December by a contract signed with Malaysia for four aircraft. Both nations became A400M programme partners, bringing the total commitment to 192 aircraft.

Quentin Davies, Britain's minister for defence equipment and support, described Monday's talks as "difficult." Asked whether Britain would remain in the project, he replied "we will be if we can be, but we need to make a very great deal of progress with [Airbus] in order to save this project." Spain's secretary of state for defence Constantino Mendez emphasized that "all countries showed their willingness to be in the program and that they did not plan to withdraw either completely or partially." The military transport plane was unveiled last year but has been hit by delays in building its massive turbo-prop engines, putting the 20 billion euro ($28 billion) project at risk.

DTN News: President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Agree To Delay Decision On A400M Military Plane

DTN News: President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Agree To Delay Decision On A400M Military Plane

*Sources: Int'l Media / AFP (NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - June 12, 2009: France and Germany have decided to delay for six months a decision on the future of the problem-plagued Airbus A400M military transport plane, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday. Tanker aircraft competition could reopen in July: GatesThe Pentagon could reopen a competition between Boeing and an EADS/Northrop Grumman team to replace the US military's aging fleet of air refueling aircraft as early as next month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday. Gates told lawmakers he expected to make a final decision within a week or 10 days on "the acquisition authority and the structure we're going to put into place to ensure that it is a fair, open and transparent process." The Pentagon's acquisition team hopes to put out a request for proposal "this summer, perhaps next month," he said. "Our hope is to probably try and get the RFP (request for proposal) out mid-summer." The Pentagon awarded the 35-billion-dollar contract for 179 aircraft to the EADS/Northrop Grumman team in February 2008, but Boeing successfully challenged the decision with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which recommended it be recompeted. "Part of the process I'm going through right now is to try and structure this in a way that puts the best people on this program and that provides a supervisory role," Gates said, adding he would ask his deputy to "take a very close interest in this process." Gates had initially said he expected competition for the politically sensitive contract to be reopened in the spring of 2009, and then in the summer. Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the fate of the plane being built by Airbus, a subsidiary of European aerospace giant EADS, during a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace. "We talked about the A400M and decided that it would be good to give ourselves a small delay of six months to continue discussions and to find the best possible solution," said Sarkozy at a joint news conference. The A400M was initially scheduled to start being delivered at the end of 2009 but the programme has suffered from a delay of at least three years and clients have threatened to cancel their orders. The military transport plane was unveiled last year but it has been hit by delays in building its massive turbo-prop engines, putting the 20-billion-euro (28-billion-dollar) project at risk. Spain, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Turkey are participating in the A400M programme. "We are in full agreement... We will give ourselves a few more months and then we will see," said Merkel, who added that France and Germany "need a transport plane in any case." French Defence Minister Herve Morin said this month that there would likely be a meeting of ministers from the seven participating countries and EADS to renegotiate the delivery contracts.

Airbus A400 Delay Has Caused Chaos And Cancellations: Reports / German Official: Dropping A400M A 'Serious Option'

Airbus A400 Delay Has Caused Chaos And Cancellations: Reports / German Official: Dropping A400M A 'Serious Option' (NSI News Source Info) FRANKFURT, Germany - March 20, 2009: German Deputy Defence Minister Ruediger Wolf said March 19 that canceling orders for the problem-plagued Airbus A400M military transport plane was a serious option. On 9 January 2009, EADS announced that the first delivery has been postponed until at least 2012. EADS also indicated that it wants to renegotiate 'certain technical characteristics' of the aircraft. EADS has long maintained the first deliveries would begin three years after the A400M's first flight. The German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland has closely followed the A400M program and reported on 12 January 2009 that the aircraft is overweight by 12 tons and may not be able to achieve a critical performance requirement, the ability to airlift 32 tons. Sources told FTD that, currently, the aircraft can only lift 29 tons, which is insufficient to carry a modern armored infantry fighting vehicle. The FTD report prompted the chief of the German Air Force to say, "That is a disastrous development," and could delay deliveries to the Luftwaffe until 2014. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Luftwaffe is delayed at least until 2017. This leads the political planning to potential alternatives in the shape of a higher integration of European airlift capabilities. The OCCAR reminded the participating countries that they can terminate the contract before 31 March 2009. Wolf told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that to bring pressure on Airbus' parent company EADS, "cancellation must be a serious option after a delay of three to six months. "The A400M has been plagued by setbacks, with the aircraft's first flight postponed to a date that has yet to be determined because of engine problems. Wolf, who was quoted indirectly by Sueddeutsche Zeitung, said it was more realistic to extend to six months a moratorium accorded to EADS to get the program back on track. Countries that have ordered the plane, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey, have suggested delaying from April 1 to July 1 the date on which they can begin to cancel contracts. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) was supposed to get the transport plane in the air for an inaugural flight in January 2008, and the seven countries await a total of 180 A400Ms. On March 18, French defense official Laurent Collet-Billon said Paris might reduce the number of planes it has ordered. France has signed on for 50 aircraft, while Germany has ordered 60.

EADS Denies It May Pull Out Of A400M Contract

EADS Denies It May Pull Out Of A400M Contract

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS – January 24, 2009: EADS on Friday denied reports it might pull out of its troubled A400M military transport plane program, saying it is rather looking to renegotiate parts of the contract. The Airbus A400M is a four-engine turboprop military transport and tanker, designed and built by the European corporation Airbus Military. It has been ordered by 10 countries and will replace a variety of aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and the Transall C-160. The European defense and aerospace giant says that "contrary to what has been circulated in the press," there are no talks within the company about a "scenario" to withdraw from the program. More than 6,000 EADS employees now work on it, the company said in a statement. European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., the parent of plane maker Airbus, has been struggling to manage delays to the A400M that have already cost Airbus euro1.7 billion ($1.84 billion) in penalties and other charges. Airbus Military signed a contract in 2003 with a group representing Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and Turkey for 180 aircraft in the program. Since then, South Africa has ordered 8 aircraft and Malaysia 4 — for a total of 192 planes. EADS and Airbus recently proposed a "new approach" to the seven European NATO countries that first ordered the plane through procurement agency OCCAR. In its statement on Friday, EADS said: "There are ongoing discussions with OCCAR and the customer governments, the aim of which is to establish the right frame that will enable the best achievement of the program."

DTN News: First Airbus A400M Military Transporter Aircraft Rolled Out

DTN News: First Airbus A400M Military Transporter Aircraft Rolled Out (NSI News Source Info) SEVILLE, Spain - July 9, 2008: In a ceremony presided over by His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, Airbus Military has today rolled out the first complete A400M military transport aircraft from the Final Assembly Line facility in Seville, Spain. Designed initially to a recognised requirement for a new airlifter for European air forces, the A400M incorporates the state-of-the-art materials and technology that are being continuously perfected in today’s civil aircraft fleets. Features such as electronic flight controls, carbon composite structures and an automated handling system will bring new standards of operability and safety to military aircrews. Launched under a single contract in 2003 with 180 orders for seven European launch customers, the A400M represents the most ambitious military procurement programme ever undertaken in Europe. The launch customer nations, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom were subsequently joined by Malaysia and South Africa, which recognised the potential of the new airlifter for their own requirements and brought the total number of commitments to 192. “Today is a great day for our industry,” said Carlos Suarez, CEO of Airbus Military and Head of MTAD: “It is the result of the combined efforts and determination of all those involved in the programme. It has been supported by the national governments - our customers, the industrial partners, the suppliers, and the employees who have worked to produce the aircraft. I would like to thank and congratulate them all.” “This event demonstrates our joint determination to show that EADS can design and manufacture a long-range military transport aircraft which will set new standards in airlift and open further potential in international markets. It also serves to justify the confidence which our customers placed in us when awarding the initial contract.”, said Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS. The initial contract, worth some 20 billion Euros was signed with a single interface between Airbus Military and OCCAR, (Organisation Conjointe de Coordination en matière d’Armement), the contractual body representing all seven European customer nations). Versatility is the characteristic that best describes the A400M, it being conceived with both tactical and strategic capability. With a payload of up to 37 tonnes over ranges of up to 4700 nm, the A400M is designed to carry all loads and vehicles in the European Staff Requirement (ESR) inventory, serve as an aerial delivery platform and act as an in-flight refueller for both fast jets and helicopters. The A400M is the first truly new military transport aircraft of its category designed in over 30 years, with twice the capacity and twice the payload of the current aircraft types that it will replace. It is all set to become the new standard in military airlift