---
title: "A400M UK Medium Term Aircraft In-Service Support Contract Extension UK5 Transparency Notice"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05d339"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d339"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d339.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d339.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT"
published: "2025-10-24"
---

# A400M UK Medium Term Aircraft In-Service Support Contract Extension UK5 Transparency Notice

Buyer: DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05d339

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## Summary

The procurement process led by Defence Equipment and Support, located in Bristol, is focused on the extension of the A400M UK Medium Term Aircraft In-Service Support contract. This process falls under the defence and security industry category and involves maintenance and airworthiness support for the Atlas A400M aircraft. The procurement method was a direct award to Airbus Military Sociedad Limitada (AMSL), justified by their unique position as the Original Equipment Manufacturer. This extension, valued at £265 million, covers services across the UK and Spain, with the contract period commencing on 1st October 2026 and projected to conclude by 30th April 2029, with an option for a further one-year extension. The procurement stage is currently at award after being completed on 24th October 2025.

Businesses equipped with technical expertise in aircraft maintenance and support, especially those familiar with regulatory frameworks like MAOS and MRP Part 145, could find substantial growth opportunities through subcontractors or complementary service providers within this contract. Large enterprises capable of engaging in defence and security industry services, and those with advanced knowledge in aircraft systems integration, will be well-suited for collaborations or service provision under the umbrella of this existing contract. This tender not only assures continuity and stability in the defence sector supply chain but also encourages innovation through adherence to evolving standards in military aviation technology.

## Notice

The extension of the existing A400M-097 contract for national in-service support services for the Atlas A400M Airframe, including Base Maintenance Services, Line and Line Support Services and Continuing Airworthiness Management Support Service

### Procurement Information

It is considered that this contract can be awarded in accordance with the justification set out in paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 to the Procurement Act 2023 where competition is absence for technical reasons. AMSL hold the unique position of being the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Design Authority (DA) for the A400M aircraft, as well as the provider of common in-service support under the Global Support Step (GSS) arrangement for benefit of all partner nations who co-operated in procuring the design, development and manufacture of the A400m aircraft. In order to provide the required national in-service support services there is specific access, technical know-how and specific interoperability with the GSS arrangement which could only be provided by AMSL. In addition, performance of the national in-service support services is subject to Maintenance Approved Organisation Scheme (MAOS) approval, with all Maintenance Organisations conducting maintenance or repair on UK military registered aircraft required to hold MRP Part 145 approval in accordance with Military Aviation Authority (MAA) Regulatory Article (RA) 4800 series. AMSL as the OEM and DA is uniquely positioned to manage and sustain compliance with the complex regulatory regime applicable to the A400M programme to ensure coherence and seamless integration between the multiple regulated organisational approvals (including the Co-Ordinating Design Organisation, Approved Maintenance Organisation, Contractor Flying Approved Organisation and Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation) to deliver a safe and effective enterprise. Further the A400M aircraft is yet to attain full military operating capability, with AMSL iteratively upgrading the capability and delivering a concurrent retrofit programme. As a result, the build standard of the A400M aircraft remains subject to substantial change and consequentially the platform and its components, design and proven performance remain at a relatively early stage of maturity. As such it is impractical to contract national in-service support services with another economic operator and would pose intolerable risk to the capability, effectiveness, readiness and safety of the A400M Atlas aircraft. In summary, AMSL are the only economic operator with the in-depth knowledge, experience and technical know-how to perform the services, whilst ensuring regulatory compliance, satisfaction of interoperability and airworthiness requirements, and delivering the availability for deployment of military operational aircraft that meet the needs of Defence.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068121-2025 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 24 Oct 2025 |
| Contract period | 30 Sep 2026 - 30 Apr 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £265,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS34 8JH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire |
| Local authority | South Gloucestershire |
| Electoral ward | Stoke Park & Cheswick |
| Westminster constituency | Filton and Bradley Stoke |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | AIRBUS MILITARY SOCIEDAD LIMITADA (AMSL) [AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50211100 - Aircraft maintenance services

## Release History

- 24 Oct 2025 at 10:26 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068121-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068121-2025
  24th October 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-equipment-and-support
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d339. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d339.json.