Airbus and NATO procurement agency OCCAR have signed an agreement that will see production of the A400M airlifter secured for the foreseeable future, as well as the joint development of additional capabilities and efforts to lower operating costs. Until 2029, production will be stabilized at an optimum rate of eight aircraft per year, achieved by bringing forward build slots for four aircraft for France and three for Spain.
Meanwhile, Airbus continues to develop the A400M and add new capabilities, including firefighting and the use of the aircraft for standoff jamming. It is also being proposed as a mothership for remote carriers of varying sizes. In this role, the A400M could release swarms of uncrewed air systems and then control them from onboard.
At a more prosaic level, the A400M is likely to get a payload increase from 37 tonnes to 40 tonnes with only a limited technical upgrade required.
Jean-Brice Dumont, the head of air power for Airbus Defence and Space, noted that discussions regarding the A400M are ongoing with the United Arab Emirates, among other potential customers.
Airbus’ other military large aircraft program is progressing well, with the first A330neo-based MRTT+ multirole tanker-transport now in production. Due for delivery to an undisclosed launch customer, the first neo tanker-transport is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2028. The type is attracting increasing interest, especially as the geopolitical situation is increasing the need for agile combat employment through the rapid deployment of combat aircraft.
Nordic countries are interested in joining the pooled NATO tanker operation, which would require additional aircraft to the 10 already acquired. Airbus is delivering four to five MRTTs per year from its Madrid Getafe plant, which may need to be enlarged if more orders come in. An additional site could also be considered.
Another field in which Airbus is active is uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs). The flagship project is the Eurodrone medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone under development by Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. There has been a delay in the critical design review of around a year, but it is due soon, with no change to the planned service entry date at the end of the decade. Both India and Japan have shown interest in joining the program as observers or possibly even as development contributors.
In the meantime, the Airbus Spain-developed SIRTAP medium MALE UAV rolled out recently and is on course for first flight by year-end. First deliveries are officially set for the first half of 2027, but Dumont noted that they could be earlier.
In the longer term, the principal program for Airbus Defence and Space is the Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS), which forms part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). NGWS encompasses a crewed aircraft, the Next Generation Fighter (NGF), for which Dassault is leading development work. Airbus is leading the development of remote carriers and other elements, such as combat cloud networking.
With service planned from 2040, NGWS is currently in Phase 1b of the development process, with hardware demonstrations beginning in Phase 2. The latter will include flight trials of NGF demonstrators and remote carriers.
There has been some acrimony between Dassault and Airbus, in part regarding workshare, for which Dumont suggested a “softer, smart” agreement was needed. He commented that Airbus was completely committed to NGWS, that there was no opposition to Dassault leading NGF, and that “we have to make [FCAS] happen, but we might have to change the workshare to make it executable.
“It’s two competitors poised to marry,” added Dumont. “It’s not an easy position. Today we protect our IP; tomorrow we have to share it.”