Days after France said it was working to rapidly press the Airbus A400M airlifter into firefighting duty, the French government said it had commenced those operations over the weekend.
The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft developed by Airbus Defence and Space as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities.
Malaysia’s military modernization has been guided by Capability Development Plan 55, the first phase of which includes seven core strategic programs, with five directly related to aircraft procurement.
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The EU plans to establish what it calls a Military Mobility Transport Group in a move that could be a boon to Airbus by paving the way for more A400M orders.
Airbus is still hunting for deals to bolster the dwindling A400M's backlog, but program boss Gerd Weber said he is more relaxed about winning contracts.
A key modernization priority for the Indonesian Air Force is the expansion of a mixed fighter fleet, which is expected to more than triple over the next decade.
Airbus has forged an agreement with UAE-based Calidus that could potentially lead to the creation of an MRO facility for the A400M airlifter in the UAE.
Under the agreement, signed during the Dubai Airshow and announced Nov. 21, Mubadala’s Strata aircraft parts-making unit would get work packages on the A400M.