RAF extends Airbus support deal to raise A400M availability

The UK Royal Air Force has extended an in-service support arrangement with Airbus for its A400M Atlas tactical transports, a deal the Ministry of Defence says will raise the daily count of aircraft ready for missions from 10 to 13 by the end of 2027, a 30% increase.

The follow-on phase runs for 31 months and is valued at £190 million ($251 million), according to the MoD. It was announced on 1 October.

Under the extension, Airbus will keep providing maintenance, repair and support work for the RAF's Atlas fleet from its support centre at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The contract runs to April 2029 and sustains 350 jobs at Airbus and its subcontractors, the ministry says.

Kata Escott, managing director of Airbus Defence & Space UK, said company teams work alongside RAF personnel and are focused on keeping the fleet ready for operations.

The RAF holds 22 of the turboprop airlifters, which aviation analytics firm Cirium records as between three and 12 years old.

With the UK having retired its last Lockheed Martin C-130Js in mid-2023, the A400M now provides all of the service's tactical airlift. The RAF also flies eight Boeing C-17 strategic transports and nine A330 Voyager tanker/transports as its core fleet.