News in brief

Airbus’ 21st century A380 flagship jetliner turns heads wherever it goes, and did so this time with some high-powered help at the 2013 Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia. The aircraft from Malaysia Airlines’ growing fleet of A380s partnered with four Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter jets from the Royal Malaysian Air Force for a spectacular flyby during the show’s opening day. 

Airbus has delivered the initial A330-200F for Qatar Airways, further expanding the list of international carriers enhancing their aircraft fleets with this new-generation freighter. Qatar Airways’ A330-200F is the first of three to be provided on lease from BOC Aviation, and will be used on the operator’s international freight network – replacing A300-600Fs that have been in service since 2002. The three cargo aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.

Airbus Military marked a key milestone towards delivery of the initial A400M with today’s successful maiden flight of the first production aircraft. This new-generation airlifter, designated “MSN7,” took off from Seville, Spain and returned there after a smooth 5-hour, 42-minute trip. The French Air Force is the first customer scheduled to receive an A400M, with its initial delivery planned for the second quarter of 2013.

Airbus Military and Thales UK have signed an 18-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to supply training services for its A400M Atlas next-generation transport aircraft, which are to be operated by the Royal Air Force. Provided through the A400M Training Services Ltd.  joint venture of Airbus Military and Thales, these services will include design, construction and management of the A400M training school in Oxfordshire, England; installation and maintenance of full flight simulators and all synthetic training equipment; and support for the Royal Air Force’s course design team and training staff. 

Saudi Arabia has placed its first A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport into operational service with this new-generation aircraft’s formal acceptance into the Royal Saudi Air Force fleet. The clearance was given by Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khaled bin Sultan during a dedication ceremony held earlier in the week at Riyadh Airbase. This A330 MRTT is the first of a three-aircraft batch contractually delivered to Saudi Arabia by Airbus Military, and it will be deployed to refuel Royal Saudi Air Force fighter jets, including the F-15, Typhoon and Tornado.

The Australian Department of Defence has declared initial operating capability (IOC) for its A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport, which is designated the KC-30A in service with the Royal Australian Air Force. This announcement was made today at the Australian International Airshow, and it reinforces the fact that Airbus Military’s A330 MRTT is the world’s only certified and flying new-generation tanker/transport. Australia has received all of its MRTTs on order, with the fifth and final aircraft delivered during November 2012. (Photo credit: Andrew Mclaughlin)

Airbus Military’s new-generation airlifter has completed another round of cold weather testing as preparations continue in advance of the first A400M customer delivery. These latest evaluations were completed during a week-long deployment to Iqaluit, Canada using a production-representative aircraft, and demonstrated capabilities of equipment such as the cargo system and production-standard engines – which were not available for previous A400M cold weather trials in Sweden.

A key milestone has been reached for the upcoming delivery start-up of French Air Force A400Ms with Airbus Military’s signing of the initial In-Service Support contract, which was inked with France’s OCCAR (Organization for Joint Cooperation in Armaments) and spans a period of 18 months. The agreement covers industrial on-base maintenance support, spares management, extended query answering service and more to facilitate smooth flight operations at Orleans, which is the A400M’s initial operating base in French Air Force service.

The partnership of Airbus’ ProSky subsidiary with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has advanced with signing of a joint research and collaboration agreement – marking an important step toward strengthening Singapore as a centre of excellence for air traffic management. Under this pact, Airbus ProSky and CAAS will research air traffic flow management and collaborative decision making for a new level of efficient air traffic management operations in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region. 

Airbus Military has delivered the first of three new-generation A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports (MRTT) to the United Arab Emirates, which will be operated in service with the nation’s Air Force and Air Defence. This latest handover marks a key milestone for the MRTT programme, as each of Airbus Military’s four current customers – Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom – have now received one or more aircraft. The United Arab Emirates’ remaining two A330 MRTTs are at an advanced stage of preparation, and will be provided by mid-year.