EADS presents in Dresden the world's first strategic next generation tanker aircraft
Dresden, 09 December 2003
* Roll-out of the first of six A310 MRTT aircraft for the German and the Canadian Air Forces
* EADS CEO Hertrich: EADS is now a global player in the air-to-air refuelling market
At the roll-out of the first A310 MRTT for the German Air Force, EADS CEO Rainer Hertrich underlined the commitment of the largest European aerospace and defence company to extend its worldwide market position in military transport and tanker aircraft. “The A310 is the world’s first strategic next generation tanker aircraft. It strengthens EADS’ competitive position in the growing market of military transport and tanker aircraft”, Hertrich said in Dresden on Tuesday.
Hertrich emphasized the importance of transport and tanker aircraft for military operations and strategic mobility. “I am proud and grateful for the contribution we are providing to the modernization and transformation of the armed forces in Germany, together with our partner Lufthansa-Technik.”
The worldwide market for air-to-air refuelling aircraft is estimated at about 600 units. A lot of old aircraft will be phased out over the next few years. “We have a good prospect of capturing a significant share of this market with our modern offering”, said Gustav Humbert, the Chief Operating Officer of Airbus and member of the EADS Executive Committee. “With our Airbus aircraft, the A310 and A330, we have two reliable platforms that have been extremely successful in commercial markets for many years.”
The A310 MRTT conversion is the result of a successful cooperation between Airbus Deutschland and Lufthansa Technik. “We also have the support of the leading British air-to-air refuelling company Cobham and of our Spanish EADS colleagues. This cooperation was the basis for the outstanding work that has been done at EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden”, Humbert said.
For Francisco Fernandez-Sainz, the head of the EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division, EADS’ entry into the transport and tanker aircraft market is of high strategic importance. “Nobody holds a monopoly anymore in this market. Our worldwide customers now have a choice of different offerings. That will generate competition. Our A310 and A330 tanker aircraft are world beaters”, said Fernandez-Sainz, who is also head of EADS Casa.
Six Airbus A310 are being converted by EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden and Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg. The German Air Force will receive four aircraft, two aircraft will be delivered to the Canadian Air Force. The program ensures more than 100 jobs at EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden.
EADS can offer different aircraft using different refuelling technologies to meet the special requirements of Air Forces worldwide. “That’s why we are converting the A310 for Germany and Canada and are offering the A330-200 with “Hose and Drogue”-technology for the United Kingdom and Australia. We are also developing a flying boom for the US Air Force to equip the A330-200.”
The boom-technology is a self-financed development of EADS. “With an investment of € 80 Million we are getting ourselves ready for future competition in the US”, Hertrich said. Another example of Airbus technology for military applications offered by EADS is the A400M military transport aircraft, which will be first delivered to customers in the second half of this decade.
EADS is the second largest aerospace and defence company in the world with revenues of € 29.9 billion in the year 2002 and a workforce of more than 100,000. It is a systems integrator and as such is one of the few companies worldwide capable of combining various products and technologies to form complete systems and offering the associated services. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. EADS has over 70 sites in France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain and is active in many regions worldwide, amongst them America, Russia and Asia.
Contact:
Rainer Ohler
Tel. +49 89 607 34 235
Miguel Sanchez
Tel. +34 91 585 77 89
Roland Sanguinetti
Tel. +33 1 42 24 24 26
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