A400M: conundrum for equipment suppliers

摘要

Europe's future airlifter programme is breaking new ground in programme management ... and setting new challenges for suppliers. The A400M airlifter programme is being run like no previous military programme in Europe, in that Airbus Military, as prime contractor, has guaranteed to deliver the aircraft on time, on spec, and at a fixed price. Should it fail to do so, it risks severe financial penalties. With the initial Request for Proposals (RFP) set to go out to the equipment industry by year-end, the pressure is on the Second and Third Tier suppliers seeking to get aboard, but they'll have to be prepared for a tough competitive bidding process that has never before existed in European military programmes. A final A400M procurement briefing conference organised by EADS in Washington in October followed three earlier briefings for the systems and equipment community in Europe, with GIFAS in France, the SBAC in the UK and the BDLI in Germany. These briefings explained how the programme is being organised, and how the competitive bidding process is going to operate.