§ Lord Vivianasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the planned costs of the A400M airbus are the subject of a fixed contract; and, if not, how any increase in costs will be covered. [HL2795]
§ Lord BachThe contract with Airbus Military for the development and production of the A400M aircraft will be based on fixed prices and therefore subject to variation in line with agreed indices.
§ Lord Watson of Richmondasked Her Majesty's Government:
How important the funding of the A400M programme is to the capability and credibility of the European defence and security policy. [HL2800]
§ Lord BachStrategic mobility is an important capability for European military operations. Our plans provide for this to be addressed by a number of programmes, including the A400M. In the near-term, capability improvement in this area relies on measures such as the UK C-17 lease and the European Air Group burden sharing arrangements. The A400M, with a planned in-service date of 2010, would fulfil a longer-term need.