A400M Operators Agree To New Upgrades, Support Package

Airbus’ A400M airlifter is set to receive a series of upgrades as part of a new agreement between the launch customer nations.

The upgrades package, called Block Upgrade 0, will update the turboprop-engine transport aircraft’s flight management systems, ensure the wider fleets are compliant with NATO requirements, and improve the aircraft’s communications capabilities. The plan calls for improving the fleet from late 2026 until the end of the decade.

Airbus says the upgrades package will expand the A400M’s capabilities in tactical and strategic operations, increasing its performance and reducing crew workload.

The upgrades package forms part of a new contractual framework agreed to with Airbus by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), a European defense materiel agency acting on behalf of the A400M launch customer nations. They are Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg.

As well as a Block Upgrade 0, Airbus and OCCAR also backed a new A400M Global Support Services (GSS3) agreement provided to customers by Airbus. This includes ground tools, spares delivery and technical support.

Airbus says the GSS3 contract will be performance-based, providing a pooled and shared set of spares while “clear performance indicators” aim to “boost and incentivize fleet availability and reduce the cost of ownership.”

GSS3 follows GSS2, which was signed in 2019 to provide a common support package for all customer nations. The earlier GSS1 provided services only for France, Spain and the UK.

Jean Brice Dumont, head of Airpower at Airbus Defense and Space, said there was an increasing need between the customer nations for greater “interoperability and commonality,” and that the new contract responded to this need.

“With 130 A400Ms in operation and more than 200,000 flight hours achieved by the fleet, the new agreement allows our customers to benefit from significant savings while keeping the same highest standard of services and performance,” Dumont said.

Germany is funding much of the Block Upgrade 0 initiative, the country’s defense ministry said earlier in October. It will provide €152 million ($165.2 million) of the €380 million cost.

The contract for the Block Upgrade 0 covers the development, certification, embodiment and in-service support of the enhancements. Airbus says that development has already started and will be completed by the end of 2026. The next phases, including notably the fleet’s embodiment and in-service training, will continue until the end of the decade.