Lockheed Martin has signed an agreement with
Airbus to jointly explore opportunities to meet the growing demand
for aerial refuelling for US defence customers.
The companies are taking a cooperative
approach, with the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (A330
MRTT) at its heart, to examine a broad spectrum of opportunities.
These may range from ways to support critical near-term air-refuelling
needs, such as a fee-for-service structure to conceptualizing the
tanker of the future.
Airbus Defence and Space Head of
Military Aircraft, Fernando Alonso, said, “The A330 MRTT has been
selected by a dozen nations around the world. It is extensively
proven in live operations and has been repeatedly praised by major
air forces. We are convinced that the combination of Airbus’
tanker expertise with Lockheed Martin’s extensive US presence, has
the potential to provide highly effective solutions for current
and future US military aerial-refuelling requirements.”
Lockheed Martin has a long and successful history of systems
integration, manufacturing and MRO operations with large airlift
and tanker aircraft.
“Airbus is an industry leader in the
aerial refuelling area, and Lockheed Martin is known for
cutting-edge defensive technologies and capabilities,” said
Michele Evans, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics. “This is a great opportunity for our two companies to
combine our expertise – cooperating to develop world-class
solutions for critical needs around the world.”
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