EU weighs modernising Antonov An-124 fleet and a successor to the C-17

Europe's armed forces depend on aircraft capable of carrying outsized cargo, but the Antonov An-124 and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III are no longer built. The European Defence Agency is now examining the alternatives, according to its own statements on the matter.

The gap is not new. Years ago, EU member states set out in a defence cooperation paper that a potential shortfall loomed in strategic airlift for oversized freight. Aircraft such as the An-124 could not be bought, the paper noted. The A400M fleet can partly reduce that risk, but it is limited in size and payload, according to the same assessment. The Salis contract, under which Antonov Airlines flies its ageing An-124s for NATO states, runs out in the early 2030s. The C-17 fleet operated by EU member states is expected to reach the end of its service life in the 2040s. That referred to three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft stationed in Hungary, and that model is also out of production.

Last week the agency said that without action Europe is heading for a real gap in strategic air transport capacity, and that for oversized and particularly bulky cargo European states depend almost entirely on an ageing fleet. It said a study has now been completed after 18 months of work under the European System for Outsized Cargo Airlift project, known as ESOCA, which is coordinated by Airbus Defence and Space with other companies including Leonardo and Safran taking part.

The agency described the long-term alternatives as clear, without setting out the study's findings in detail. Little is known about plans to modernise the An-124, including the aircraft named Be brave like Irpin.