EADS opts for the European A400M engine
Amsterdam, 06 May 2003
EADS Board of Directors has on Tuesday approved the recommendation by Airbus to choose the European consortium engine TP400-D6 for the A400M military transport aircraft as the overall better solution to meet customer requirements.
The Board of Directors met after the EADS Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam under the chairmanship of Manfred Bischoff and Arnaud Lagardère to review the two possible op-tions for the choice of the engine of the A400M military trans-port aircraft.
After having heard the presentation of Airbus management and after a thorough discussion on both options, the Board of Direc-tors unanimously decided to strongly advice Airbus to select the European consortium engine (TP400-D6).
EADS Chairman Manfred Bischoff said: “Both Pratt & Whitney and EuroProp International (EPI) have presented excellent pro-posals. We are grateful for this competition. However, we have decided to opt for the European consortium’s engine as the best overall solution and due to the substantial price efforts made.”
Arnaud Lagardere added: “For Europe, this is a major step for-ward. As new Chairman of the number one European aero-space and defence company, I’m proud to support it. We are confident that this decision will pave the way for the A400M programme start.”
About EADS:
EADS is a global aerospace and defence company and is the world’s second largest in terms of revenues with € 29.9 billion in 2002. EADS has a workforce of more than 100,000 and is a market leader in defence technology, commercial aircraft, heli-copters, space, military transport and combat aircraft, as well as related services. Its family of leading brands includes the com-mercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest heli-copter manufacturer Eurocopter, the space company Astrium and MBDA, the world’s second largest missile company. EADS is the biggest partner in the Eurofighter consortium and heads the A400M military transport aircraft programme. The company has over 70 sites in Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain. It is active in many regions worldwide, including the U.S., Russia and Asia.
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