A400M Program Clouded By Concerns Over Maintenance

29 Jun 2011 By PIERRE TRAN DefenseNews

PARIS - A lack of clarity on maintenance for Europe's new airlifter is a big concern for both industry and customer nations, with France due to receive the first aircraft delivery in about 18 months, sources familiar with the situation said June 29.

The situation raises concerns because an aircraft fleet without service support is of little use, a source close to contract talks said. The makers of the A400M cargo plane and its engines must stop going back and forth and agree on a maintenance package, the source said.

Drawing up a maintenance contract is complicated because so many companies are involved with the plane's turboprop engine. Each A400M is powered by four engines.

Airbus Military, a subsidiary of Airbus and EADS, manufactures the transport plane, and Europrop International (EPI) builds the plane's TP400-D6 engine. EPI is a consortium comprising ITP of Spain, MTU of Germany, Rolls-Royce of Britain, and Snecma, part of France's Safran group.

Airbus Military is trying to "translate" the client requirements for the engine manufacturer, but the engine companies are struggling to get a clear understanding of the needs, a second source close to the talks said.

Engine maintenance differs from service for the A400M's airframe and on-board equipment, the second source said, and it is difficult to find agreement on customers' requirements in the propulsion area.

"What's needed is a dialogue," the second source said.

Industry would like to propose a draft contract by the end of this year or mid-2012 to be ready for signing in time for the first delivery of the A400M to France by the end of 2012.

To complicate matters, each country wants to handle service in a different way, the first source said.

Germany is pursuing its own service activities, with Lufthansa Technik to serve as a key supplier of support for the Luftwaffe's fleet of A400M planes.

As an example of how hard it is to achieve a common international procurement program, Germany has no money to buy a directed infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) suite that had been jointly agreed upon with France. That means French A400Ms would fly without the planned DIRCM self-defense system, although they would be equipped with other anti-missile protection gear such as chaff and flare dispensers. Britain, meanwhile, is buying an American-built DIRCM system for its A400Ms.

Six of the A400M's seven launch customers - Belgium, which also signed for Luxembourg, along with Britain, France, Germany and Spain, signed at the recent Paris Air Show a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a "common core" of support, which covers configuration management, data management, and possibly spare parts. Turkey is expected to sign in the coming weeks once parliamentary approval is received.

The announcement of the MoU by the French Defense Ministry caught some industry executives by surprise, leaving some wondering what is in the framework agreement.

The MoU also covers a bilateral British-French agreement on all other areas of support, including maintenance and repairs. Common A400M support is one of the areas covered by the Anglo-French defense cooperation treaty signed Nov. 2.

The first A400M service contract for Britain and France is due to be signed with the European multinational program manager, Organisme conjoint de coopération en matière d'armement, around the end of the year.