Posted on 02/21/2011 7:19:21 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Air force to get Airbus transporter planes by year-end
Rory Jones
Last Updated: Feb 22, 2011
The UAE Air Force will receive the first of three new Airbus military transporter planes by the end of the year.
A military version of the Airbus A330 passenger airliner, the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), is designed as both a transport and an air-to-air refuelling aircraft.
Having ordered three MRTT planes in early 2008, the UAE will receive the first of them in December, Didier Vernet, the head of market development at Airbus, said yesterday.
The UAE is one of four countries to have ordered the new type of transporter, along with Australia, the UK and Saudi Arabia. The planes will be used to strengthen the UAE's homeland defences and increase its role in regional security and humanitarian relief.
Waha Capital, an Abu Dhabi finance company with interests in aviation leasing and property development, last year closed financing deals worth Dh6.7 billion (US$1.82bn) from a syndicate of international banks to buy nine military aircraft for the UAE Armed Forces.
This deal included finance for the purchase of the A330 MRTT planes. The Royal Australian Air Force will receive delivery of the first plane, which is now in final testing, in the next six months.
The UK has ordered 14 planes and Saudi Arabia six. They are due for delivery next year.
Mr Vernet said Airbus had received more "big interest" in the region for the new aircraft.
"We are in discussions with many parties here," he said. "But there are no more planes on order."
Airbus Military is testing four MRRT planes and is converting three A330 passenger aircraft. The company said it had also received strong interest from Middle East buyers for its A400M transporter plane.
rjones@thenational.ae
It’s a little known fact that European companies are allowed to sell defense products to the ME for oil. US companies are prevented by law from doing that.
So how have US companies sold billions of dollars worth of equipment to countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE??
That’s a pretty weird argument since the US can and has avenues to protest against supposedly unequal competitions. And besides what are the Europeans going to do with all that oil???
The oil for goods logic works well with the likes of Libya or formerly Iraq, but not so with Saudi Arabia or the UAE.
As far as protests go it even gets more weird. How about back in the 90s where Boeing rolled over on competing with Airbus/BAE on several deals in order for the Euros to drop their objection to the Boeing - McDonnell Douglas merger? When the merger was first announced, the Euro aircraft people were screaming unfair like stuck pigs and their future orders looked non existent. What a difference a deal makes.
Are you telling me that American companies in the Gulf don’t get any concessions??? Ask folks from Asian companies about what they feel about European and American companies operating in places like the KSA.
How many deals has Boeing lost to Airbus or EADS since its merger??? Other than a handful of tanker contracts (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia, UK), I can’t think of many more.
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