AirTanker Consortium Signs 27-Year Air Refuelling Contract with UK Ministry of Defence
Released on Thursday, March 27, 2008
AirTanker, the EADS-led consortium, has today signed a 27 year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of air transport and air refuelling capability to the Royal Air Force. The AirTanker consortium has also completed its financing for the programme, raising approx £2.5 billion (€3.2 billion) for investment in the fleet, a new state-of-the-art operational base and associated infrastructure.
The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme includes the provision of a fleet of 14 new tanker aircraft, based on the latest generation Airbus A330-200 to enter service from 2011, replacing the previous fleet of VC-10 and Tristar refuelling aircraft. The contract also includes provision for all necessary infrastructure, training, maintenance, flight management, fleet management and ground services to enable the RAF to fly air-to-air refuelling and transport missions worldwide. The A330 FSTA aircraft will be more than 50% British by value. Through this agreement, EADS will become the RAF’s leading supplier of transport aircraft, complementing its existing commitment to supply 25 A400M aircraft to the UK forces.
EADS CEO Louis Gallois commented: “We are proud to be providing the RAF with the very best air-to-air refuelling solution available internationally. The MoD’s requirements are known to be highly exacting, and we are grateful that its trust has been placed in EADS and our consortium partners, Cobham, Rolls-Royce, Thales and VT Group. For our part, this win further demonstrates the A330 as the platform of choice for the world’s refuelling fleets and comes on the back of our recent success in the US market. This award strengthens our ongoing commitment to grow our business in the UK in the long-term.”
The Military Transport Aircraft Division (MTAD) is responsible within the EADS Group for all military derivative programmes based on Airbus platforms. For the FSTA programme, MTAD will be responsible for the design and development of the A330 FSTA aircraft, and for delivering them on-time to AirTanker, fully certified and MoD qualified.
Carlos Suarez, Head of EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division, added: “With this comprehensive service contract, we now cover the full spectrum of customers’ requirements. The A330-200 based tanker solution has now won the last five consecutive military tanker competitions internationally. This demonstrates the A330’s superior capability, flexibility and economics.”
Robin Southwell, CEO of EADS UK, said: “This is a hugely important step forward for EADS in the UK and for our defence business, both in this country and internationally. The Air Tanker A330s promise to provide a crucial enhancement of tanking and transport capability for the UK armed forces. The nature of the PFI funding also means that the programme offers real value for money to the UK tax payer.”
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of € 39.1 billion and employed a workforce of about 116,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo. Its Defence & Security Division is a provider of comprehensive systems solutions and makes EADS the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as a stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA. EADS also develops the A400M through its Military Transport Aircraft Division.
Resources
EADS - European Aeronautic Defence and Space
EADS MTAD - EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division
FSTA - Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft
MoD - Ministry of Defence
PFI - Private Finance Initiative
RAF - Royal Air Force
UK - United Kingdom
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