Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) and the DMAé (Aeronautical Maintenance Directorate) have signed a comprehensive support agreement for the fleet of four Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft of the French Air and Space Force (AAE).

The contract includes aircraft and combat systems engineering services, logistical support for operations at the operating base, and major maintenance visits carried out at AFI KLM E&M's facilities. Under this integrated contract, for which AFI assumes performance responsibility and guarantees operational availability, the French Armed Forces will benefit from an industrial partnership for the next ten years, which is expected to support the fleet until its planned retirement in 2035.

The announcement of the contract was formalized on November 25th at the DMAé's facilities in Paris, in the presence of Marc Howyan, Lt-general (Armament Corp.) and Director of the DMAé, and Anne Brachet, Executive Vice President of Air France– KLM Engineering & Maintenance.

“This contract marks an important milestone in our long-standing collaboration with AFI KLM E&M,” said Marc Howyan, Director of Aeronautical Maintenance. “The expertise of the AFI KLM E&M and DMAé teams has always ensured, for the benefit of the Air and Space Force, the highest level of performance, allowing for excellent availability despite the fleet having been in service for over thirty years.”

Anne Brachet, Executive Vice President of Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance, added: “We are extremely proud to have once again been chosen to support a strategic fleet for the French armed forces. This achievement demonstrates the excellence of the work carried out over more than thirty years and takes on particular significance in the current geostrategic environment.”