France, Germany, and Sweden signed an agreement to begin work on the development of a new medium tactical transport aircraft, under the FMTC (Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo) program.
The agreement was signed on June 23 at Orléans-Bricy 123 air base, during the European Wings seminar, which brought together a dozen Air Force Chiefs of Staff and European civil and military authorities.
According to the French Air and Space Force, the objective of European Wings was to demonstrate the strategic importance of air assets for European Union crisis management operations, the imperative of securing access to contested airspace and the need to cooperate to increase the power of air assets, especially at the upper end of the spectrum, for the benefit of the freedom of action of EU and NATO missions.
Co-organized by the French Air Force and the European Defense Agency, a seminar on the application of the Strategic Compass in the air domain was held in Orléans. During this event, held on the morning of June 23, an agreement was signed for the Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo (FMTC), a tactical transport aircraft project that will replace the C-130 Hercules and Casa CN-235 fleets from 2040. With the support of the European Defense Agency, this agreement defines the aircraft destined to operate as a complement to the A400M fleet from 2040.
The project brings together several partners, including France, Germany and Sweden. Other countries may join soon. This signature is an important first step for the FMTC project to converge towards more precise common specifications. Subsequent industrial feasibility studies could lead to the launch of the development of this new aircraft around 2026-2027.
This project has been specially sponsored by the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace for several years now, which has a need to replace some 14 C-130H and 27 CN-235, whose age is having a negative impact on their maintenance costs and operational availability.
See also: Official creation of the Franco-German transport squadron of C-130J-30 Super Hercules
While this requirement became less urgent, following the acquisition of a batch of Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and the formation of the combined Franco-German transport squadron, there is still a need to accompany the A400M with a smaller partner.
The new aircraft is likely to be a technological derivative of the A400M, to reduce development time, risks and costs and have common elements to lower production and logistics costs.
See also: Embraer C-390 beats C-130J in the Netherlands and it will become its new tactical transport
But even if the design results in an aircraft that is «half an A400M», this would leave it below a direct competitor in the C-130 replacement market, the Embraer C-390 Millennium, which has been winning orders in Europe. And in turn, it would leave it well above the capabilities of the CN-235 (which has a maximum take-off weight of 16,500 kg and a payload of almost 6t), which it would also have to replace.
The aeronautical engineers in charge of the project will have to get highly creative.
