Switzerland-based Ruag is pitching to boost its role in supporting German military aircraft, as a competitor to native aerospace giant EADS.
Ruag, which employs more than 2,000 staff in Germany, already provides Bell UH-1D helicopter support to the German armed forces.
It styles itself as an OEM-independent and "product neutral" supplier of life-cycle support services, including maintenance and life-extension upgrades. In the aviation arena, these can span rotorcraft, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned air systems. Ruag's "government business" efforts are led by vice-president Alexander von Erdmannsdorff.
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A400M Credit: Colin Miller |
Among the types it has targeted for business is the Airbus A400M military transport, says Ruag vice-president of programmes Andreas Cords. He says Ruag could provide any "non-OEM-related services" for the aircraft. These could stretch beyond maintenance and upgrades to include logistical, engineering and material support.
In 2002, Ruag acquired the aircraft services division of Fairchild Dornier - a German airframer which was not subsumed by EADS when that huge company was formed via consolidation. It now manufactures the Do 228NG turboprop at Oberpfaffenhofen.
Ruag says that to serve the German military it could even conduct final assembly of a non-German aircraft within the nation's borders.
Source: Flight Daily News
