Euroflag

Last updated

Euroflag
IndustryAerospace
PredecessorFIMA
FoundedMid-1989 [1]
DefunctJanuary 1999 (1999-01)[ citation needed ]
Successor
Headquarters
Rome
,
Italy
Products Future Large Aircraft

Euroflag was a collaboration of European aerospace companies formed for the development of the Future Large Aircraft project which was eventually to result in the Airbus A400M Atlas. Development eventually moved under the stewardship of Airbus Defence and Space.

Contents

History

Origins

The project began as the Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA) group. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was set up on December 16, 1982 by Aérospatiale, British Aerospace, Lockheed and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm to develop a replacement for the C-130 Hercules and C-160 Transall. Varying requirements and the complications of international politics caused slow progress. In 1987, Aeritalia (predecessor of Alenia Aeronautica) and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) joined the FIMA group. By May 1989, Lockheed was deep into the planning of a second-generation C-130 (eventually unveiled as the C-130J Super Hercules) that would become a competitor to a FIMA aircraft, so FIMA was disbanded. [2]

Formation

In July 1991 with the addition of Alenia Aeronautica, CASA, OGMA, and TAI of Turkey the Future International Military Airlifter group became Euroflag, European future large aircraft group. [3] [4] a joint-venture company based in Rome. [5]

Succession

1995 saw the FLA military transport project in charge of requirement-definition and selection processes with Airbus Military eventually taking over the project. [6]

Participants

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References

  1. Betts, Paul (7 June 1989). "Airbus to develop 'stretched' A-320". Financial Times . No. 30862. p. 26. ISSN   0307-1766.
  2. Empson, Derek K. (1997). "III. European Future Large Aircraft". In Noor, Ahmed Khairy; Venneri, Samuel L. (eds.). Future Aeronautical and Space Systems. pp. 105–116. ISBN   9781600864254.
  3. Díez, López; Tornell, Asenjo (3 October 2018). "A400M aircraft. Design Requirements & Conceptual Definition" (PDF). Airbus. Historical background of A400M (1). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2019.
  4. "About the Atlas (A400M)". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. "Euroflag". Flight International. 6 October 1993. pp. 42–43. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  6. 2015, Nini & Kübler, p. 15.

Sources