OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement), acting on behalf of France, and Airbus Military have signed the initial In-Service Support (ISS) contract providing an 18-month A400M support services package to the French Air Force. This is a key milestone in preparation for the delivery of the first A400M to the French Air Force.
This contract provides a tailored service to meet the needs of the French Air Force building on the foundations laid by the A400M Launch Contract between OCCAR (acting on behalf of France, Turkey, the UK, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Luxemburg) and Airbus Military, which already foresees Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) services such as Technical Documentation, Aerospace Ground Equipment and the like.
The ISS contract covers industrial on-base maintenance support, spares management, extended query answering service and more to allow for smooth flight operations at the A400M’s initial operating base at Orleans.
In preparation of the period following the initial 18 months ISS package, Airbus Military provided last November a joint French/UK ISS proposal for a further support arrangement. The parties concerned are currently discussing this offer with an expectation to reach an agreement during the second semester of this year.
The A400M is an all-new military airlifter designed to meet the needs of the world’s Armed Forces in the 21st Century. Thanks to its most advanced technologies, it is able to fly higher, faster and further, while retaining high maneuverability, low speed, and short, soft and rough airfield capabilities. It combines both tactical and strategic/logistic missions. With its cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize equipment needed today for both military and humanitarian disaster relief missions, it can bring this material quickly and directly to where it is most needed.
Conceived to be highly reliable, dependable, and with a great survivability, the multipurpose A400M can do more with less, implying smaller fleets and less investment from the operator. The A400M is the most cost efficient and versatile airlifter ever conceived and absolutely unique in its capabilities.
