MILITARY TRANSPORTS: A RELATED BUSINESS WITH DIFFERENT DEMANDS
The A400M connects Airbus' industrial history to military air transport. Liebherr records delivery of the first aircraft to the French Air Force on 1 August 2013 and describes the flight-control and actuation equipment it supplied. The programme drew on the wider aerospace supplier network, but its mission was not that of a passenger jet with a different cabin. Cargo handling, tactical operations and the associated equipment created a distinct aircraft. [205, First delivery on 1 August 2013; flight-control and actuation components]
Airbus Military also worked on aircraft derived from existing platforms, including the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport, while maintaining light and medium transport lines. The 2011 EADS review shows those activities alongside the A400M. This matters to the company narrative because commercial success and group capability were never confined to one market. It does not make a tanker, military transport or A320 procedure transferable to another type. [196, Airbus Military operational review; A330 MRTT and transport programmes]
The A400M military transport in Airbus' archive. Its mission and equipment differ from those of a passenger jet. Image: Airbus heritage collection; credits in source p.48. [170, PDF p. 42]
A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport imagery from the corporate archive: an example of adapting an airliner platform to a military mission. Image: Airbus heritage collection; credits in source p.48. [170, PDF p. 41]