Page 20 - Australian Defence Magazine March-April 2022

20 DEFENCE BUSINESS SINGAPORE AIR SHOW
MARCH-APRIL 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
Military Sales (FMS) mechanism, rather than a Direct Commercial Sale (DCS), which he said has already seen renewed interest from potential customers.
The US Air Force released a Request For Information to industry in February, for the potential acquisition of E- 7-derivative aircraft to replace the ageing Boeing E-3G Sen- try Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS) fleet. US me- dia reports suggest that up to 30 aircraft may be required.
Australia was the first customer for the E-7 (known lo- cally as E-7AWedgetail) but apart from the recent sale of five aircraft (later reduced to just three) to the UK, the only other E-7 operators for more than a decade have been Tur- key and South Korea.
In addition, Boeing is facing closure of its P-8A Posei- don (which is also based on the 737 Next Generation civil airliner) production line if further orders are not forthcom- ing. While the pressure is off the Poseidon line for the time being – recent sales have been made to the UK, Norway, South Korea and possibly Germany – the largest customer, the US Navy, is at the end of its P-8A production program.
However, with other potential sales in the offing and a re- surgence in interest in the E-7, Rotte said
he is optimistic about the future.
ABOVE LEFT: Three F-35s were displayed at the show, two US Air Force F-35As (pictured) and a Marines’ F-35B
ABOVE: Korea Aerospace Industries hopes to fly its KF-21 Boramae low observable fighter this year
One such country is Australia, which is looking to re- place the RAAF’s 12 C-130J-30s with an expanded tactical airlift fleet around the end of the decade.
Schoellhorn noted the recent performance of the A400M during the evacuation of Kabul in September 2021, which he says saw the evacuation of around 12,000 people in 120 flights, all of which were performed without the loss of a mission.
“It was a game-changer in terms of the recognition and reputation of the A400M. All of our operators used the A400M in Kabul and we are seeing momentum for the air- craft after that,” Schoellhorn said.
“We’re seeing a positive trend on all the maturity KPIs and we really think it is the aircraft ev- eryone wanted all along. There’s nothing we can publicise here at the airshow in terms of additional orders, but we are in
good discussions.”
In September 2021, the A400M re-
corded its first export order since Malay- sia ordered four in December 2005, when Kazakhstan committed to two aircraft.
Further success followed in November 2021 when Indo- nesia announced it had ordered two aircraft and signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for four more. Schoellhorn says the new orders will keep the A400M production line in Seville running until about 2030 and hopes to also win a follow-on order from the UK.
“The UK has decided to phase out their C-130Js and, while it is not yet decided that they would be replaced by A400Ms, that’s the discussion we’re having,” Schoell- horn said. “The A400M can carry double the load and you need fewer aeroplanes and, especially, fewer crews - which is an argument that resonates with some countries here in the Asia-Pacific region that look for productivity and efficiency.” ■
“There are two countries who operate
the E-7 in the region, in Korea and Aus-
tralia, and they’ve perhaps provided a
road map forward for other customers,” he
said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that
if that was what the USAF wanted, there
are benefits then to other customers. So,
I think [a US Air Force order] would have a major impact internationally, I don’t want to quantify but we can sense from our customers that they’re very interested in that.
“There is strong demand for the NG, the line is still run- ning and it will run until demand dries up, which doesn’t seem anywhere in the near future.”
AIRBUS LOOKS TO ASIA FOR FURTHER
A400M SALES
According to Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn, the Asia-Pacific region is displaying increased interest in the company’s A400M airlifter, as many coun- tries seek to replace their ageing Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules fleets.
“SCHOELLHORN ALSO REVEALED THAT AIRBUS IS IN TALKS WITH AUSTRALIA OVER THE UPGRADE OF ITS KC-30AS”
NIGEL PITTAWAY
NIGEL PITTAWAY