£410m RAF Atlas aircraft contract secures UK jobs

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has negotiated a £410 million contract that will secure at least 400 highly-skilled British jobs and provide in-service support for the UK’s Atlas A400M aircraft.

Able to carry up to 37 tonnes of payload over a range of 2,000 nautical miles, the A400M is able to deploy troops and equipment between and within theatres of operation either by parachute or by landing on short, potentially unprepared airstrips.

The in-service support contract will sustain around 200 UK jobs with Airbus Defence and Space, focused around RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, plus 200 further jobs at companies in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Sussex.

The RAF currently has 14 Atlas aircraft in service, with the planned fleet of 22 scheduled to enter service by 2019.

Air Marshal Julian Young, Chief of Materiel (Air) at the MOD’s Defence Equipment & Support organisation said: “The A400M Atlas will form the backbone of the Royal Air Force’s Strategic and Tactical Air Transport capability over the next decade and beyond.

“This key contract will deliver maintenance for our A400M Atlas fleet, enabling this class-leading aircraft to support UK military operations around the globe.”

Tony Douglas, CEO for the UK’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation, added: “The UK’s future armed forces will be prepared to respond quickly to global developments and the delivery of next-generation aircraft such as Atlas is vital to the fulfilment of this vision.

“As part of the wider Atlas programme, this new support contract draws on multinational cooperation and the strong relationships across UK Defence that are delivering this remarkable aircraft to the RAF.”