Airbus US pivots business strategy away from selling big platforms to the Pentagon
WASHINGTON - After decades of trying to break into the U.S. military aircraft market, Airbus is shifting course with a new strategy that prioritizes selling off-the-shelf sensors, data, space and intelligence capabilities that have been customized for U.S. government buyers, Valerie Insinna reports for DefenseNews.com. Continue reading original article.
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
July 17, 2020 -Chris Emerson, the new chief executive of the Airbus U.S. Space and Defense division and formerly the president of Airbus Helicopters, told reporters on Wednesday that the company would be focusing on space and intelligence as the European-based company says it isn't being serriously considered by the Department of Defense for fixed wing and rotorcraft.
“We know the Air Force needs an A400M, but I can spend 10 years trying to convince the Air Force and all the politicians that they should buy an A400M. And ultimately they will buy C-130s,” Emerson said according to DefenseNews.com. “So let me focus this energy, this great leadership team, on achieving something that is tangible today that the customer really needs. Yes, it’s not traditional for Airbus, but it will bring the value and we’ll have a better foundation if one day my successor says, ‘You know, I want to be a big platform competitor.’ At least we’d have built up trust and proven that we could really meet the requirements that are demanded of it.”
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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
