Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which governments have indicated that they will purchase the A400M aircraft.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In addition to the six partner nations of Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom that are involved in the A400M Atlas programme, Luxembourg and Malaysia have also ordered Atlas aircraft.
With the support of partner nations, Airbus Defence and Space is exploring a range of export opportunities for the Atlas aircraft. However, as such matters are commercially sensitive, I cannot provide any details.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many A400M aircraft have so far been sold.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
A total of 174 A400M Atlas aircraft have been ordered by the six A400M partner nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom), plus Luxembourg and Malaysia.
Of this total number, to date, some 16 aircraft have been delivered, with further deliveries expected to continue until at least 2022.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in the United Kingdom are employed in the construction of parts for the A400M aircraft.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence does not collect this type of information. However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has estimated that the supply chain for the A400M Atlas aircraft has created or secured work for some 8,000 people in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have concerning the performance of the A400M aircraft during its proving tests.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Airbus Defence and Space have conducted, and continue to undertake, flight trials using their own aircraft in support of the multinational A400M Atlas programme, and the results are shared with partner nations. The results of these trials are subject to independent surveillance by multinational airworthiness bodies, and have also formed the basis of the evidence scrutinised by the European Aviation Safety Agency prior to the decision to grant a type certificate to the aircraft, engine and propeller.
Trial activity is ongoing, and is an essential part of the continuing work to develop the advanced military capabilities of this new aircraft in accordance with agreed capability milestones.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many A400M aircraft have been purchased for use by the United Kingdom's armed forces.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
There are currently five A400M Atlas aircraft in the UK fleet, with acceptance work on a further four being undertaken in the next three months.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in Europe are employed in the construction of the A400M aircraft.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence does not collect this type of information; however, Airbus Defence and Space has estimated that the A400M ATLAS programme has created or secured work for some 40,000 people across Europe.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when it is estimated that the A400M aircraft will enter service with the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The in-service date for the UK A400M aircraft is expected to be March 2015.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many A400M aircraft are to be purchased by the Ministry of Defence, and at what estimated cost to the Exchequer.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The UK has ordered 22 A400M aircraft with a forecast acquisition cost of £2,809 million, as reported in the Major Projects Report 2013.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the A400M aircraft fleet will be maintained and serviced; in what location; and by how many (1) private, and (2) service, personnel.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The Main Gate Business Case investment decision for a contractor-led, output-based in service support solution for the UK A400M fleet was approved in May 2014. Negotiations are nearing completion, with contractual agreement anticipated in August 2014. This innovative solution is designed to combine the commercial efficiencies of civil aviation maintenance whilst also ensuring that it delivers the operational flexibility required to operate a fleet of military aircraft; as a result, the workforce will be made up of both contractor staff and RAF personnel. Just as the aircraft fleet will be introduced over several years, the number of personnel (both contractor and RAF) involved in the support solution will also build up to reflect this. At this stage, however, final numbers are not yet known.
The Main Operating Base for the UK A400M fleet will be RAF Brize Norton, and it is expected that all maintenance activities will be carried out in bespoke on-base facilities.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government by whom A400M aircraft are designed and constructed, and in what locations.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The A400M transport aircraft is designed, developed and produced by Airbus Military, a division of Airbus Defence and Space. It is constructed from component parts produced in a number of countries, including the UK, at the A400M Final Assembly Line facility in Seville, Spain.