The French Defense Acquisition Agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement) has taken another step towards getting a new maritime patrol aircraft off the ground that will replace the aging Atlantique 2 turboprops by contracting Airbus and Thales to continue studies on the A321 MPA aircraft.
The new contract is for a risk assessment study of the future maritime patrol aircraft program and will last 24 months.
It follows another architecture and feasibility study launched at the end of 2022 and which concluded with the conversion of the A321XLR, the ultra-long-range variant of the passenger jet.
Follow us: WhatsApp | BlueSky | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
“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.”
The French government plans to lay the groundwork for the launch of the maritime patrol aircraft program by the end of 2026.
The contract includes actions such as technical selections of systems to be integrated into the aircraft and the performance of the first wind tunnel tests.
Entry in service from 2030
The A321 MPA is designed to meet the operational requirements of the French Navy, in anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare missions, as well as intelligence gathering (ISR). The aircraft is expected to enter service from 2030.
The equipment supplied by Thales includes a state-of-the-art 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),” Airbus explained.
The company also says the A321 MPA will feature a large payload bay and open systems architecture in order to be upgradeable over a long period of time.
If produced, the A321 MPA could become a tough competitor to the Boeing P-8A Poseidon, an anti-submarine aircraft based on the smaller 737-800 that has won several competitions around the world.
