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SINGAPORE—The French plan to field a maritime patrol variant of the Airbus A321XLR has prompted growing interest in the Asia Pacific region, the company says.
This is spurred in part because of uncertainty with the current U.S. government’s view of international relations prompting interest in an alternative to the Boeing P-8 Poseidon.
France in February 2025 awarded a two-year contract to conduct a risk assessment study with Thales for developing the aircraft. The program is expected to officially launch this year, and Paris expects to spend about €3 billion ($3.4 billion).
María Ángeles Martí, the head of tanker and derivatives for Airbus Defense and Space, told reporters Feb. 4 at the Singapore Airshow that the new variant is the “best state of the art solution, not only for France but it can service many other countries.”
Without naming specific nations, Martí said the French push created some interest in the region. “We are having quite interesting conversations,” she said.
The P-8 won the most recent award in the Asia-Pacific region, as Singapore selected the Poseidon over the Airbus C295. Despite this, Airbus says it sees the A321XLR has an attractive option for the region.
“If you’re going to use the P-8 as the current yard stick, the question for us is: ‘OK, how can we better that,’” said Zakir Hamid, the head of region for Asia Pacific at Airbus Defense and Space.
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