France Considers Leases for A400M, Frigates

PARIS — Discussions are being held on acquiring the Airbus A400M transport aircraft and a multimission frigate using a prospective leasing company, known as a special purpose vehicle, Army Gen. Pierre de Villiers, chief of the Defense Staff, told journalists Friday.

The government needs to find €2.2 billion (US $2.5 billion) of exceptional receipts to fund the planned procurement, he said. De Villiers declined to say how many air tankers and frigates were in the financing talks.

The annual defense budget is €31.4 billion but the Defense Ministry needs to find exceptional receipts as the Finance Ministry declines to fully fund that total amount. The Defense Ministry has previously considered leases for the frégate multimission (FREMM), or multimission frigate, but the then-Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie decided against that form of acquisition.

Email: ptran@defensenews.com

More In Naval

ULA’s new rocket won’t fly its first Space Force missions until 2025

Even if ULA's Vulcan rocket is certified in the coming weeks, time is running out to fly the missions before the end of the year, an official said.

Pentagon picks programmers to connect its Replicator drone swarms

The announcement comes a week after the Pentagon revealed several of the drones it plans to buy through Replicator.

Pentagon announces hypersonic testing pact with UK, Australia

The agreement, which falls under AUKUS Pillar II, aims to leverage the three nations’ combined hypersonics funding, facilities and experience.

Notre Dame unveils first-ever hypersonic Mach 10 wind tunnel

A first-of-its-kind test facility unveiled earlier this month at the University of Notre Dame could improve the Pentagon’s hypersonic research.

Space Force targeting more affordable GPS satellites

The program comes amid growing concern from Pentagon and other government leaders about GPS vulnerability.