While Iberia took delivery of the first Airbus A321 XLR in history, the narrow-body aircraft has now entered the military sector, to please the French Navy. The European aircraft manufacturer has imagined a military version of its “unparalleled” aircraft, capable of operating over a radius of 8,700 kilometers with an architecture very different from traditional long-haul aircraft. With its narrow fuselage, the aircraft is the same size as a classic A321, much smaller and thinner than an A330 or an A350, but with revolutionary efficiency, allowing it to considerably reduce its consumption and fly more. far and for less.
Airbus has named the version dedicated to the French Navy A321MPA. A version which has not yet been delivered, and which perhaps never will be, as it is still a model. The project must still obtain the green light from the French Army, which took advantage of the summer to prepare the replacement of its patrol plane, the Atlantic 2. Airbus is in competition with Dassault Aviation, which has for his part worked and presented in May a model of a militarized Falcon 10X. Face to face, therefore, a private jet and an airliner. An unbalanced match, where Airbus unfortunately does not have the advantage in terms of range (13,900 km compared to 8,700 km) but offers more space in its fuselage.
After the A330 MRTT, the A321 MPA
However, it seems that France has chosen the A321 MPA, with its set of sensors developed by Thales, but no announcement has yet been made by the teams at Airbus. According to a representative of the aircraft manufacturer, in an interview with Naval News at the Euronaval 2024 show in Paris, the company is still awaiting a final decision from French defense officials. At the start of the project, Airbus was commissioned by the DGA (Directorate General of Armaments) for an 18-month feasibility study. By choosing its most advanced model from the A320 family and the NEO (New Engine Option) line, Airbus designed its model based on the A321 XLR.
In the past, Airbus has already worked on other civil models, its commercial aircraft, to create military versions. We think in particular of the A330 MRTT, which has become the flagship refueling aircraft of the Air Force since its first flight in 2007. Introduced in 2010, the NEO line at Airbus ensures a lifespan of 40 years and ease of maintenance, which continues to make the aircraft manufacturer successful with airlines. With its A321 MPA, the French Navy will replace its Atlantique 2, abbreviated ATL2, an aircraft designed by Breguet Aviation and produced from 1963. Dassault is no stranger to the model, as the production company behind the model belongs to it.
One of its main missions remains to this day the surveillance and protection of submarines of the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST). The arrival of a new fleet is not expected before 2030, that said. Let's see what, between autonomy and payload, will win the heart of the French Navy for its future missions above the planet's oceans.
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