The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a £190 million extension to the Airbus A400M Medium-Term Contract (MTC), securing continued in-service support for the Royal Air Force’s Atlas fleet through April 2029.
The agreement, delivered through Airbus’ UK Support Centre at RAF Brize Norton, will maintain critical maintenance, repair and support services for the A400M fleet while sustaining more than 350 highly skilled jobs across the UK.
The extended contract introduces an expanded support package aimed at improving the A400M fleet’s supportability, resilience and operational performance. Under the agreement, the number of fully mission-capable aircraft available each day is expected to increase from 10 to 13 by the end of 2027, a 30% improvement in daily availability.
The increase is intended to provide the RAF with greater access to aircraft for air mobility missions, including troop transport, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, global force projection and NATO commitments.
The contract extension follows eight weeks of negotiations between the MoD, the RAF and Airbus. According to the UK Defence team, the agreement delivers enhanced fleet support while reducing the overall cost to Defence.
Air Commodore Si Young, Head Air Mobility NAD Group, said the extension would build on improvements in A400M fleet availability delivered in recent years while providing continued operational capability and value for money.
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RAF Brize Norton is home to the RAF’s Air Mobility Force as well as Airbus’ UK A400M Support Centre. The extended MTC therefore reinforces the role of the site as a key hub for the Atlas fleet’s ongoing maintenance and in-service support.
For the UK’s A400M programme, the agreement provides a longer-term framework for sustaining aircraft availability and strengthening the MRO and support infrastructure underpinning the RAF’s air mobility capability.
