OCCAR and EATC pulling together on different AT-projects

Last week the Commander of the EATC, Major General Pascal Valentin, welcomed a delegation from OCCAR lead by their director, Mr. Tim Rowntree, at Eindhoven Air Base .
The A400M employment was the focal point of the visit: perspectives regarding the establishment of a common support for the A400M, the common use of large/specialized equipment for the A400M, questions around the security status of the aircraft or the feasibility of a sound configuration management for the A400M fleets and many other issues around this new aircraft, which will be the backbone of future European military air transport.

In intensive and fruitful discussions both parties exchanged data and estimations on some current projects: OCCAR offered their view about the Pooling and Sharing of A400M high value equipment - as a way to counterbalance the expensive costs each nation will have to face running the “Atlas”.
OCCAR offered an update on the current situation of the common procurement of strategic dual role tanker transport (TT) aircraft (numbers, dates, support, MNU, etc.), while EATC delivered in return a first assessment how OCCAR might in the future realize common fleet operations through EATC for A400M and strategic TT.
Moreover EATC delivered overviews about present work inside EATC such as common aircrew-, ground crew- and maintainer training (and associated mutual licensing/recognition).

Find about more about EATC involvement in A400M matters here.

Text: Norbert Thomas

Pictures: J. L. Brunet/Thomas