Includes Enhanced Capabilities And Global Support Services Agreement

Airbus announced it has entered into two strategic contracts with the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), an international organization based in Bonn, Germany that manages the A400M program on behalf of its member nations in Europe and Turkey.

The contracts include the Global Support Services and the Block Upgrade 0 to enhance the aircraft’s capabilities.

The Global Support Services contract replaces the previous agreement signed in 2019. It calls for a full range of services tailored by Airbus to meet the needs of the customers. The Block Upgrade 0 represents the first upgrade of the aircraft in the ten years since it entered service and includes key improvements to a variety of systems such as flight management, tactical information enhancement, satellite-based landing system, WiFi, and more.

Joachim Sucker, OCCAR-EA Director, added: “To enable sustained operation of a high-end military system like the A400M, a robust support environment is paramount. The GSS3 contract signed by OCCAR with Airbus illustrates A400M user nations’ ambition to sustainably operate the A400M in the most demanding environments, benefiting from the range, the payload and the versatility of the A400M to fulfil an incredibly large scope of missions.”

Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Airpower at Airbus Defence and Space, said: “The A400M is a clear enabler of the sovereignty of our nations and the strategic autonomy of Europe. Global deployments like the Kabul airlift mission or the more recent Pacific Skies exercise highlight the need for interoperability and commonality among our customer nations.

“This new framework agreement is the answer to that increasing requirement. With 130 A400M in operation and more than 200,000 flight hours achieved by the fleet, the new agreement allows our customers to benefit from significant savings while keeping the same highest standard of services and performance.”

FMI:  www.airbus.com/