European Wings : France, Germany and Sweden’s air force air forces just signed an agreement to jointly develop, by 2040, a “Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo”
European Wings : France, Germany and Sweden’s air force air forces just signed an agreement to jointly develop, by 2040, a “Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo”
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FRENCH, GERMAN & SWEDISH Air Forces just signed an agreement to jointly develop, by 2040, a “Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo” to replace the existing fleets of C-130 Hercules and Casa CN-235.
Airbus defense will be happy, first the helicopter with Airbus’s helicopter devision and now this.
On Thursday, June 23, 2022, France, Germany and Sweden signed an agreement as part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (PFUE).
The Air Force and Space Agency (AAE) hosted the PFUE European Wings event from June 22 to 23, 2022. This event brought together a dozen air force chiefs of staff and European civilian and military authorities.
The objective of European Wings was to demonstrate the strategic importance of air assets for the European Union’s crisis management operations, the imperative of securing access to contested airspace, and the need for cooperation in increasing the power of air assets, particularly at the top end of the spectrum, to benefit the freedom of action of EU and NATO missions.
Coorganized by the French Air Force and the European Defence Agency, a seminar on the implementation of the Strategic Compass in the air domain was held in Orléans. During this event, on the morning of June 23, an agreement was signed for the Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo (FMTC), a tactical transport aircraft project that will replace the C-130 Hercules and Casa CN-235 fleets by 2040. Supported by the European Defense Agency, the agreement defines the aircraft that will complement the A400M fleet by 2040.
The project brings together several partners, including France, Germany and Sweden. Other countries could join soon. This signature marks a first major step for the FMTC project to converge towards more precise common specifications. Subsequent industrial feasibility studies could lead to the launch of development of this new aircraft around 2026-2027.
TLDR: Probably a twin engine mini A400m