MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brize Norton home for Airbus A400M

Brize Norton has been selected over Lyneham as the base for Airbus A400M, the new Royal Air Force transport aircraft planned to replace the ageing Hercules C 130K fleet and the four leased C-17s.

According to the August 30 edition of "RAF News", the introduction of the A400M, due in 2010, will also demand changes in the number of personnel currently supporting the C-130K and C-17 fleets.

A RAF spokesperson said Brize Norton offered the "most cost effective and operationally effective solution". The MOD aims to complete its strategic review of all three stations, (Brize, Lyneham and St Mawgan) early in 2003.

It's expected that RAF personnel will undertake all first line and second line on-aircraft servicing on the A400M fleet, with other maintenance requirements being met under contract. Modern design features incorporated in the A400M will result in a reduction of aircrew and engineering support currently needed to operate and maintain the C-130K and C-17.

"Therefore as the C-130K fleet is retired at Lyneham, in the region of 800 posts will be disestablished, approximately 30 of which will be MOD civilian posts".

However to support the A400M fleet it will be necessary to establish in Brize Norton 700 service posts and around 35 civilian posts.

"RAF News" adds that the introduction of the A400M fleet at Brize Norton is likely to coincide with the latter stages of the VC10/Tristar fleet replacement programme with the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, FSTA.

As with the A400M, the FSTA will demand less manpower to operate and maintain compared with numbers needed to support VC10 and Tristar fleets.

Only Brize Norton and Lyneham were considered for basing the A400M given the requirement to be close to the Army's Air Mounting Service at South Cerney.

Even when Lyneham had reasonable off-aircraft technical accommodation, the station was discounted because the A400M would not fit into the existing hangars and the cost of building a new hangar and associated first and second line engineering facilities would be considerable, plus the fact the runway is slightly less that the optimum length.

In Brize the current hangar can accommodate up to six A400M and the runway exceeds the required for the new aircraft.