Airbus Industrie says it remains committed to finding risk-sharing partners for the A3XX in the USA, amid claims from senior sources close to the European airframer that US manufacturers are coming under pressure from Washington not to enlist in the project.
Lockheed Martin last week reconfirmed an earlier decision not to invest in the programme, while Northrop Grumman says it had made a similar decision before selling the aerostructures division that would have undertaken work on the project on a contract-only basis. Around 40% of the $10.7 billion A3XX launch budget is to come from risk- and revenue-sharing partners.
The senior source, within an Airbus shareholder, says the A3XX workshare issue has become politicised, with the continuing row over European state funding for the project causing the US Government to intervene. Some in the US administration believe the aid does not comply with a 1992 commercial aircraft funding agreement.
"US industry - including Lockheed and Northrop - is under pressure not to get involved, and that pressure is coming right from the very top," says the source.
Lockheed Martin vice president business development, Bill Trice, says he is unaware of any pressure from Washington, but confirms that the company has no intention of committing cash to the project.
"We have made it clear to Airbus that we are not prepared to be a senior investor in A3XX," he says. "Our core interest does not include commercial aircraft. But we would be quite prepared to become an aerostructures subcontractor and provide US product support."
Philippe Camus, co-chief executive of Airbus' 80% shareholder EADS, meanwhile, confirms that it has so far failed to sign up further investors in the A3XX beyond the nine already announced.
Camus nevertheless claims the recruitment process is on course and will not delay the project's launch, adding that US partners will be forthcoming. "We have ongoing discussions with partners all over the world and these will be finalised by the time of industrial launch of the A3XX, which will be by the end of the year," he says. "We expect to have some risk and revenue partners from the US."
The investors secured so far are Saab, with up to 5%, Hurel Dubois with up to 2%, AIDC, Belairbus, Eurocopter, Finavitec, GKN Aerospace, Latecoere and Stork. Italy's Finmeccanica will provide a further 10% when its Alenia Aerospazio division joins the programme. Airbus president Noel Forgeard draws a distinction between full partners and "vendor" partners, although both will be risking cash on the project.
"We expect 35% - rather than 40% - of the launch funds to come from our partners, plus $1 billion from the vendors that will invest in equipment for the A3XX," he says.
"The rest will be supported by the EADS partners, plus the 33% from governments which we are entitled to under the 1992 agreement." Forgeard adds that one prospective partner, Mitsubishi Industries, may be under pressure from Boeing not to join A3XX after signing a deal on space and aerospace cooperation.
Airbus hopes the recruitment of US companies to the A3XX will help boost sales and change its public image there, with the Carlyle Group, which last week closed its acquisition of the Northrop aerostructures business, seemingly Airbus' most obvious target.
Source: Flight International
