Since France alone has reduced its order portfolio for the military transport A400M to 35 aircraft instead of 50, this indicates that the production of this aircraft will have to cease in just three years, specifically in 2028. Additionally, the situation is complicated by Berlin's sluggish stance on new A400M sales to foreign buyers.
In light of this, Airbus management has decided that selling this aircraft to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates represents a viable option for saving the A400M project, and thus has begun taking concrete steps in this direction.
As reported by the French portal Opex360, negotiations regarding potential contracts for A400M with the UAE and Saudi Arabia are currently taking place "on the sidelines" of the IDEX 2025 exhibition in Abu Dhabi, as highlighted by Gerd Weber, the program manager for this transport aircraft within Airbus.
At present, it is anticipated that the United Arab Emirates may purchase between eight and ten A400M military transport aircraft to replace their C-130 Hercules, while discussions with Saudi Arabia involve a possible order for as many as 15-20 aircraft.
However, the nuance is that negotiations with the UAE are currently at an "advanced stage," so a contract could potentially be finalized by the end of 2025. In contrast, discussions with the Saudis are just at the initial stage, making it premature to speculate on future prospects.
Based on data from The Military Balance 2024, at the beginning of last year, Saudi Arabia had a total of 47 transport aircraft, of which the most powerful were 33 C-130s, while the United Arab Emirates had six C-130s and even eight C-17 Globemasters.
In this context, it is also worth recalling reports from January 2025 that Poland is now interested in purchasing A400Ms, needing at least 10 of these aircraft.
Additionally, Defense Express previously reported that Airbus had thought it could replace the An-124 "Ruslan" with its Beluga for NATO transports, but miscalculated.
