France Says To Buy Airbus Tankers In 2013

Jan 9, 2012 By Akintunde Akinleye and Joe Brock (Reuters) - AviationWeek.com

PARIS - France will buy aerial refuelling tankers from European airplane manufacturer Airbus in 2013, defense minister Gerard Longuet said on Monday.

France had not until now officially closed the door on a purchase of tankers from rival Boeing, but Longuet made clear such a move was no longer on the cards after Airbus lost a massive tanker order in the United States last year.

The Pentagon awarded a $35 billion contact to Boeing after a transatlantic battle that saw European leaders protest when a previous award to Airbus was overturned on appeal from Boeing.

Airbus is owned by European aerospace group EADS, in which the French government has a 15 percent stake.

Asked at a news briefing about previous suggestions that France’s own tanker requirements may be opened to competition, Longuet, who became defense minister last year, commented, “that was no doubt before the U.S. decision”.

He also said the purchase of European tankers made sense to French forces for operational reasons.

Industry sources say France has considered leasing tankers from Britain for budgetary reasons and as part of an Anglo-French defense pact, but that operations in Libya convinced its planners that an independent capability would be more efficient.

France is expected to buy from five to seven tankers, which refuel fighters and other aircraft to extend their range and time in the air.

The new tankers would replace elderly Boeing C-135 tankers ordered in the 1960s by General de Gaulle.

Boeing has complained in the past about the difficulty of penetrating the French defense market. Its senior French executive two years ago called it one of the most protectionist markets, saying Paris had not bought from Boeing for 30 years.

Europe in turn accuses the United States of being slow to open up its defense market.

Speaking about procurement policy in general, Longuet said the state had to balance its need for short-term savings with long-term interest in having a healthy local supply base.

French Senators recently attacked a move to buy unmanned military aircraft from French planemaker Dassault based on Israeli technology rather than buying cheaper Reaper drones from General Atomics in the United States.

A Senate move to chop funding was later overturned.

Longuet defended the drone decision, saying it made sense to ensure France’s industrial base remained healthy for the future.