The French Defense Procurement Agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement) has signed a contract with Airbus Defense and Space as prime contractor, in partnership with defense company Thales, for a risk-assessment study of the future maritime patrol aircraft program.
As informed, this 24-month contract follows on from the architecture and feasibility study launched at the end of 2022. The aim of this new definition study and the risk-assessment contract is to prepare for the development and production launch of the maritime patrol aircraft program at the end of 2026.
This study will enable the initial results of the architecture study to be taken further in order to refine the economic and industrial conditions for carrying out the program, guide the technical choices of the systems to be integrated into the aircraft, and carry out the first wind tunnel tests, according to Airbus.
The A321 MPA is a militarized version of the Airbus A321XLR, designed to meet all the operational requirements of the French Navy, mainly in anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, from low to high intensity, as well as intelligence gathering.
The aim is to have a new aircraft to replace the fleet of Atlantique 2 operated by the French Navy from the Lann-Bihoué (France) naval air base by the 2030-2040 timeframe.
The A321 MPA will have a long-range and high-maneuverability capability, including at low altitudes. Airbus noted that the aircraft will be equipped with a full range of sensors specific to maritime patrol aircraft, to which Thales is a major contributor: latest-generation radar with active antennas; an acoustic system using passive and active sonar buoys; electronic and electro-optical warfare systems; magnetic anomaly detection (MAD), and self-protection systems.
It will also carry communications systems, including satellite communications, as well as the weapons needed for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, including torpedoes and the future anti-ship missile (FMAN).
“The A321 MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) has all the assets to become a true flying frigate capable of responding to the wide range of missions entrusted to the French maritime patrol,” said Jean-Brice Dumont , Executive Vice President, Head of Air Power at Airbus Defence and Space.
“Airbus offers a sovereign solution that provides the autonomy, availability and reliability required to contribute to the oceanic component of the nuclear deterrence.”
Airbus Defense and Space has long experience in converting commercial aircraft into military aircraft, culminating in the success of the A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT).
In 2023, the Spanish Navy ordered 16 Airbus C295 aircraft in maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) configuration and maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) configuration.