[Defense Interview] Airbus DS CEO: "Transport Aircraft A400M is a Perfect Model"

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As local Afghan collaborators safely entered South Korea, the air force transport aircraft acquisition project is expected to gain momentum. Some are even mentioning the additional procurement of multipurpose aerial refueling transport aircraft, which played an active role in this Afghanistan transport mission. Starting with the repatriation of Korean War fallen soldiers' remains in June last year, successfully transporting Iraqi expatriates in July, and this year handling Janssen vaccine transport, urgent return of Cheonghae Unit personnel, and the repatriation of General Hong Beom-do's remains, the transport aircraft have been fulfilling their roles effectively.

The manufacturer of the multipurpose aerial refueling transport aircraft KC-330 ‘Cygnus’ is Airbus. We met with Lee Hee-hwan, head of Airbus Defense and Space division and general manager of Airbus Korea branch (pictured).

Mr. Lee introduced Airbus as “a leading company in the aerospace and defense industries,” explaining that it is “the world's number one government communications support provider with 30 years of expertise.”

He also expressed special affection for the Korean market. Mr. Lee said, “Korea was the first country outside Europe to introduce the Airbus aircraft (A300B4),” adding, “Since then, we have conducted about $800 million worth of projects until 2019 and created more than 6,000 jobs.”

Pointing to Korean defense companies, Mr. Lee said, “Korean defense firms have maintained a strategic partnership for over 40 years,” and “I am proud to contribute to nurturing experts with Korean companies.”

He particularly mentioned the multipurpose aerial refueling tanker A330 MRTT operated by the Korean Air Force, geostationary orbit composite satellites, public development of earth observation satellites, and the Korean ANASIS-II satellite launched last July. The Pleiades Neo-4 developed by Airbus can capture high-resolution images of the Earth's surface (30cm resolution per pixel). This satellite is used to monitor the effects of climate change.

He emphasized, “We are currently continuing cooperation on the multipurpose practical satellite Arirang-6 and Korea’s first satellite navigation augmentation system (KASS) payload.”

He also showed interest in the second phase of the transport aircraft project scheduled to begin next year. Mr. Lee said, “The A400M is designed for use not only by the air force but also by other government agencies for military and humanitarian support operations,” adding, “More than 170 units have been ordered worldwide so far.” He particularly emphasized, “It is a perfect model to complement existing medium tactical transport aircraft,” and “It can carry cargo weighing about 37 tons.” He added, “The main landing gear, consisting of 12 wheels, is designed to operate on gravel or sandy runways, and the aircraft fuselage efficiently absorbs shocks. It can take off and land on short unpaved runways.”

Finally, Mr. Lee stressed the relationship with partners. He said, “Industrial cooperation is like the DNA that carries the company's vitality,” and explained, “The A400M transport aircraft can secure accessibility to the global defense market through cooperation with Korea.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.