Aviation Week Feb. 26, 2007 page 31
Robert Wall/Douglas Barrie
France and Germany are throwing up hurdles ot a NATO plan to purchase C-17s to bolster the alliance's much-needed strategic airlift capability.
Their opposition is seen as stemming partly from a desire to protect their own industrial interests in the form of the Airbus A400M.
According to the AV Week article:
- The A400M engine flight testing has been delayed (again) pushing it back from the end of March to sometime in the summer. The TP400-D6 has experience several previous delays and has yet to run flight trials on a C-130 testbed.
- French and German officials are using procedural issues on the NATO NAMSA board to stall any C-17 purchase. They claim NAMSA does not have the authority to buy the planes.
- The first A400M is suppose to enter service in 2009 with France, followed by 2011 with the UK but - the Brits are almost certain it will be held up.
- NATO may have to resort to leasing more Russian AN-124s to make up the difference until something happens or the A400Ms are delivered. |