by Belén Carreño, Inti Landauro and Tim Hepher
MADRID/PARIS (Reuters) – Spain could cancel the remainder of an order for 27 Airbus A400Ms for military transport, according to European defense sources.
After several months of uncertainty, sources say Madrid are considering canceling the 13 aircraft that have not been delivered, after the Spanish Air Force indicated they do not need them. additional planes.
The Spanish government and Airbus declined to comment.
The A400M, a multi-billion euro program commissioned by seven NATO member countries – Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Luxembourg and Turkey – has been marked by several years of cost overruns linked to technical difficulties.
Spain and Airbus are currently discussing how to mitigate the impact of a partial cancellation of the A400M order, the sources said.
Defense specialist Janes magazine reported last year that Airbus was expecting Madrid to back the SIRTAP tactical drone project, co-developed by Airbus Spain and Colombia.
Last year, Spain also ordered 20 additional Eurofighter fighter jets, a four-nation fighter jet program for which Airbus is the industrial partner of Spain and Germany.
(Report Belen Carreno, Tim Hepher, Inti Landauro; French version Kate Entringer, edited by Tangi Salaün)
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