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New or upgraded facilities are taking shape across Europe as industry targets 2008 first flight
The contract signature in Bonn, in May 2003, which finally gave the go-ahead for the development and production of Europe's long-delayed and much-needed A400M strategic airlifter, has led to a flurry of investment decisions by the partners in the programme.
Taken mainly from the industrial arrangement adopted for the production of the' Airbus civil model range, the A400M programme additionally opens up industrial collaboration to the seven nations that have ordered the aircraft, by applying the principle of "just return", even though so-called "commercial rules" have been largely adopted for the programme. The purchase contract for the 180 aircraft comes to just over euro18 billion. About 15% of the total cost of development, which comes to some euro5 billion, is financed by Airbus Military and its partners.
OCCAR contract
The purchase contract was signed by OCCAR (Organisation conjointe de cooperation en matière d'armement), representing all its Ministry of Defence customers, and Airbus Military, which comprises four industrial shareholders, Airbus SAS, EADS, the Belgian consortium Flabel and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
Prime contractor for the A400M programme, with headquarters in Madrid, is Airbus Military, who has contracted Airbus SAS, with its HQ in Toulouse, and factories in Germany, Spain, France and the UK, with the organisation, management and development of the programme.
In contrast to the established commercial practices for Airbus's civil aircraft, the industrial arrangements for the A400M are tied to the number of aircraft ordered by each country. Thus, France sees its stake go from a 37.5% share in Airbus civil programmes to 28% for its work on the A400M, which represents its order for 50 aircraft. Germany's share, for an order for 60 aircraft, is just slightly down on its 37.5% Airbus stake, to 33%, and includes the responsibility for fuselage fabrication for the A400M, and continues its wellestablished Airbus speciality for the vertical fin. In the same way, the UK (a 14% stake with 25 A400M orders) is slightly down on its normal 20% Airbus stake, but is confirmed in its competence as designer and producer of the wings. A major innovation here is the wing constructed in composite materials, which is a first for...