casey Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 French Ministry of Defence, will place orders for American C-130J according to French internet page Air&Cosmos. Airbus is behind delivery schedule but this does not seem to be main problem. A400M aircraft lacks in-flight refuelling capability for helicopters. The director of Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), “General Directorate for Armament Laurent Collet-Billon stated that the turmoil of the propellers of the A400M, is too dangerous to refuel helicopters.A team from the DGA is currently in the United States to negotiate the acquisition of C-130J Lockheed Martin that may reach several hundred million USD.In 2014, when delivery of non-compliant A400Ms was refused by Turkey for several months the CEO of Airbus Tom Enders had said, “The aircraft is ready to go. It’s the same aircraft that we delivered to the French Air Force that has been instantly operational and fit for flight. I find the situation increasingly unacceptable,”View original article: http://www.c4defence.com/en/france-to-purchase-c-130/ View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre623 Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Good choice France. lUpdate!!! Bad choice from France not buying C-130's from Lockheed...now they won't have a way back from the boneyard when they junk out the A-400M. So sad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry myers Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I'll bet this decision is creating an uproar in the French aviation community.A400s' just became cheaper to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FEC130 Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I'll bet this decision is creating an uproar in the French aviation community.A400s' just became cheaper to buy.France has no intention of buying the C-130J. France Denies Plan To Buy C-130Js To Fill A400M Helo Refueling GapPARIS — A capability shortfall inthe Airbus A400M tactical airlifter has left France facing thepotential inability to refuel military helicopters, a requirementthat French defense procurement agency DGA saysthe aircraft may never fulfill.However, the DGA said April 3 it is continuing to workwith A400M prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space tofind a solution to the capability gap, and it has no plans topurchase Lockheed Martin C-130Js from the U.S.“Our priority is to get the full capacity of the A400M,”the DGA said, adding that it “denies that it is trying to buyAmerican C-130J aircraft to fill the gap” as reported in anApril 2 article in French aerospace journal Air & Cosmosthat claimed the DGA planned to buy five of the airlifters.According to the DGA, the Airbus-built A400M turbopropengines create excessive turbulence when refueling Frenchhelicopters. A June 2013 test involving Airbus EC725 Caracalhelicopters was successful only after extending the A400M’srefueling cable, a solution the DGA found unacceptable.“The refueling capacity is one of the specifications ofthe A400M,” Airbus said in an April 3 statement. “Nothingtoday allows us to announce that the customer hasgiven up on this capacity. Nothing seems to justify thepurchase of numbers of tactical American aircraft for thisreason only.”Despite the denials, the refueling problem remains. Ifthe A400M is unable to provide helicopter refueling for theFrench armed forces, the DGA will seek compensation fromits prime contractor. And a solution must be found quickly,as the French cannot continue to rely on aging C-160 Transallaircraft, given current operational commitments, whichinclude Operation Chammal in Iraq and multiple missions inthe Central African Republic and the Sahel.In the meantime, while France has already received sixA400M airlifters — and expects four more this year —Airbus has yet to issue a revised delivery schedule sinceannouncing earlier this year that the program is experiencingproduction delays.In February, Airbus CEO Tom Enders said he had set agoal of doubling delivery of the aircraft in 2015. But withonly eight aircraft furnished in 2014 to four of seven programpartner nations, the target of 16 aircraft deliveredin 2015 still falls well short of an earlier target of 22 expectedthis year by France, Germany and the U.K., as wellas the airlifter’s first and only export customer, Malaysia.—Caroline Bruneau Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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