EADS joins Northrop Grumman KC-30 Advanced Tanker Team
Amsterdam, 07 September 2005
EADS has joined Northrop Grumman as team mate and principal subcontractor on the Northrop Grumman KC-30 advanced tanker bid for the United States Air Force’s next generation aerial refuelling aircraft.
“We are pleased to join Northrop Grumman in offering the U.S. Air Force the most advanced aerial refuelling capability,” said EADS CEOs Tom Enders and Noel Forgeard. “The combination of Northrop Grumman’s prime system integration experience and EADS’ demonstrated aerial refuelling platform excellence place us in a very strong competitive position for success in this major U.S. military modernization programme.”
EADS will bring its significant in-flight refuelling experience to the Northrop Grumman KC-30 solution through EADS North America. The full capabilities of EADS have been demonstrated in providing tanker aircraft for Canada and Germany, and in competitive wins for tankers for the United Kingdom and Australia, and will be leveraged on the KC-30 team.
EADS has consistently stated its intent to participate in a U.S. tanker competition. The company funded development of the state of the art, fly by wire refuelling boom, combined with the modern A330 airframe provide the most advanced platform capabilities. EADS North America recently announced plans to establish a U.S. production site in Mobile, Alabama, which will begin operation in 2006 with the opening of a new Airbus engineering centre.
“Joining together with Northrop Grumman on the KC-30 tanker programme is a significant milestone in our strategy to successfully participate in the U.S military market,” said Ralph Crosby, EADS North America Chairman and CEO. “We are pleased to work as a teammate and principal subcontractor under the leadership of Northrop Grumman, whose prime system integration capabilities are world class.”
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of € 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. 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.
Contacts for the media:
Christian Poppe
Tel.: +49 89 60 73 42 50
Wolfgang Reinert
Tel.: +49 89 60 72 79 05
Patrice Kreis
Tel.: +33 1 42 24 20 45
Miguel Sanchez
Tel.: +34 91 5 85 77 89
Guy Hicks
EADS North America
Tel.: +1 703 236 3300
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