The French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction Générale de l'Armement) has signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor, in partnership with Thales, for a risk-assessment study of the future maritime patrol aircraft programme. 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 risk-assessment contract is to prepare for the development and production launch of the maritime patrol aircraft programme 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 programme, to guide the technical choices of the systems to be integrated on the aircraft, and to carry out the first wind-tunnel tests.

The A-321 MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) is a militarised version of the A-321XLR, 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 airplane will have a long-range and high-manoeuvrability capability, including at low altitude. It 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 aircraft's large cargo bay and the open architecture of its mission system give it a great capacity to evolve throughout its lifecycle to meet the emergence of new threats.

The success of the A-320 Family -the world's best-selling single-aisle aircraft with more than 10,000 planes in service and more than 300 million flight hours- ensures that the A-321 MPA has long proven availability, reliability and low maintenance costs.

Airbus Defence and Space has long experience in converting commercial aircraft into military one, culminating in the success of the A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) , which has more than 90% of the world market (excluding the United States). The company also has extensive expertise in the integration of sensors and mission systems on the P-3, C-295 and CN-235 aircraft, with more than 170 units in service in various maritime patrol and surveillance configurations.