A400M operators sign multinational support contract

Airbus has signed the new A400M Global Support Step 2 contract with the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), which is the first support contract that will include all launch customers for the programme.

OCCAR manages the multinational programme on behalf of Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg, all of which have signed up to the new agreement, which will replace the Global Support agreement Step 1 signed in 2016 that provided support services for France, Spain and the UK.

The contract will bring the benefits of a fully integrated suite of common services using shared resources and assets, providing a full range of tailored services to meet the needs of the A400M customers, from ground support to airworthiness and from maintenance to material support.

This performance-based contract will last until 2023 and creates a new partnership framework based on pooling and sharing, under which industry and operators have the opportunity to explore new areas of collaboration, concepts and services. 

The modular structure of the services allows for the tailoring of solutions as per specific operational requirements, according to Airbus, and the pooling and sharing is expected to have cost benefits. 

‘With this services contract, we are working together with our customers on innovative solutions never performed before on a military programme,’ Alberto Gutiérrez, head of military aircraft at Airbus Defence and Space, said.

‘After the agreement with the launch customer nations on the programme’s contract amendment, this is another clear signal that through mutual collaboration we are strengthening the future of the A400M.’

‘The A400M Global Support contract covers more than 40 individual services working together, a complete pool of services from ground support to airworthiness, through to maintenance or material services,’ Gary Palmer, OCCAR A400M programme manager, added. 

‘Under this collaborative model, the more nations that join the pool, the more efficient the services become from which customers can benefit.’