Julian Moxon/PARIS
Optimism over the prospects for the European Future Large Aircraft (FLA) military transport is being tempered by continued uncertainty over the commitment of Germany, which has the largest requirement of the six partners.
Doubts centre on whether Germany will sign up for its share of the development funding in time to meet the French and UK requirements for delivery of the first FLAs in 2005.
The German air force, which has repeatedly stated its need for the aircraft to replace its ageing C-160 Transalls, requires deliveries in 2008, raising the possibility that it will delay its long-term commitment to the programme. Government backing for the eventual purchase of aircraft is seen as vital to enable industry to raise the necessary funding for the programme to enter full-scale development.
FLA programme manager Andy Lewis says that he remains "very optimistic" that all the partners - Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK - will be ready for a programme start in early 2000. At present, the FLA timetable envisages an 11-month pre-launch phase, followed by a year of contract negotiations leading to the final go-ahead.
Lewis says that the Airbus Military Company (AMC) has to be presented with a "sensible business case" for the programme, and adds: "All of the partners have to agree to launch the FLA at the same time. If one is out of line, we won't start."
At present, says Lewis, all partners except Germany have found the money for the initial $85 million, pre-launch activity phase of the programme.
Meanwhile, the recent submission of the joint request for proposals (RFP) has cleared the way for the formation of the AMC which, says Lewis, will be registered "no later than December".
The AMC will consist of Airbus, its four partners, Italy's Alenia and Turkey, which has recently signed to the full programme.
At present, Germany requires 75 FLAs, France 50, the UK 45, Italy 44, Spain 36 and Turkey 20-26. These figures form the basis on which the AMC will allocate the programme shareholdings.
Germany's Daimler-Benz Aerospace admits: "Funding problems for the FLA are not yet solved. At present, the Eurofighter 2000 has priority, although we expect the German parliament to approve the programme in November."
An industry source adds, however, that "-it is not an easy situation. There will not be a commitment from Germany this year."
Lewis insists that there remains a two-year "leeway" before any major funding decision needs to be taken: "Most governments see that as a sensible timescale in which to find the money."
Source: Flight International
