A recent event in the Baltic Sea reminded us of the qualities of our famous and hardy Bréguet Atlantique, formerly in the 1960s, BR1150 Atlantic, maritime surveillance (SURMAR) and maritime patrol (PATMAR) aircraft, several times modernized and now ATL 2 and now ATL2 NG. It’s true that since the aircraft’s first flight in 1961, more than 60 years on, they have accomplished their tasks with talent and assiduity. Successors to the Lockheed Neptune P2V6 and P2V7, they have protected our maritime approaches, contributed to our nuclear deterrent by helping our SNLEs “dilute” in the depths of the ocean to escape indiscretion, supported our land forces in Africa with their surveillance and electronic warfare capabilities, carried out numerous rescues at sea, and of course their main mission, anti-submarine warfare. Equipped with air-droppable survival kits, air-droppable acoustic buoys, torpedoes and AM 39 Exocet air-sea missiles, they have acquired their letters of nobility, and their longevity is clear proof of this.

We can also confirm the effectiveness of their detection capabilities by radar and also in the electromagnetic spectrum, ELINT with their SIGINT and COMINT resources, i.e. signal and communications processing. None of the conflicts covered in Africa, in the broadest sense of the term, could have taken place without their help and support. Based from Dakar to Djibouti, via N’Djamena… During the Malian conflict against the African Al Qaeda of AQIM, the ATL2s even acquired the capacity for ground bombardment with laser-guided bombs, benefiting firstly from the laser illumination of UAVs, combat aircraft and commando operators on the ground, and then from their own PDL laser designation pods.

A total of 117 aircraft were built and delivered to 5 countries, led by France and Germany, but also the Netherlands, Italy and even Pakistan. Time has passed, and the Rolls-Royce Snecma Tyne engines that also power the Transall have aged. Despite their sturdiness, console operators and aircrew who spend long hours in the air suffer from uninterrupted propeller vibration and noise. The American competitor, the Boeing P-3 Orion, and its successor, the Poseidon, based on the Boeing B737, offer the living space, speed, smoothness of jet flight and many other advantages, albeit more costly than turboprops. To date, only France has 22 of these aircraft in service. Modernized by Dassault Aviation, formerly Dassault Bréguet, the aircraft’s manufacturer, they are scheduled for service until 2032…. But after that?

The future is becoming increasingly clear. The French government, the DGA (Direction de l’Armement) and, of course, the French Navy have hesitated between the next Falcon 10X, which in a few months’ time will be the flagship of Dassault Aviation, the last Falcon to be designed and launched; the biggest of them all, and the Airbus A321, the darling of the airline industry, of which 3,000 have already been delivered and 7,000 ordered to date (by 2024, 66% of Airbus single-aisle orders were for A321s! ), the chosen version being the 321neo XLR, the most powerful and latest member of the A320 single-aisle family, of which over 10,000 are in flight. The basic choice is made: the Airbus. The aircraft will be very different from the ATL: faster, bigger and heavier, very modern and high-performance for its pilots, with a state-of-the-art cockpit and very long range (over 12 hours).

The missions will be the same, but still multifaceted: anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, escorting SSBNs on strategic patrols (dilution), sea and fisheries surveillance, sea rescue, electronic warfare and intelligence gathering, with all the tools required to do so: anti-ship or anti-submarine missiles, the FMAN (Futur Missile Anti Navires will replace the AM 39 Exocet), torpedoes, latest-generation acoustic buoys, target designation optronics, very long-range detection radar (derived from that of the Rafale) (up to 400 km for a ship and 50 or 60 for a simple submarine schnorchel tube in heavy seas), bombs, laser designation pods, listening and jamming equipment, magnetic anomaly detectors (MAD) and, of course, state-of-the-art consoles and computing devices for system operators, not to mention rest areas, and even reserves, for standby crews. But this also means under-wing weapons attachment points, unprecedented for an Airbus, in-flight openable cargo bays for weapons storage and release, a comfortable living area, advanced self-protection systems, etc.

By 2032, it will no longer be possible to modernize the Bréguet Atlantique. The Americans, with their Boeing B737-P-8 Poseidon, have been winning all the markets for 25 years… They are the only ones to offer a twin-engine jet. PATMAR’s Airbus is scheduled for delivery in the early 2030s.
It could be said that this new family of combat-dedicated aircraft will join the A330 MRTT family, which has been a great success for in-flight refueling and the transport of various loads, including passengers, for the armed forces. This choice, while difficult for the French government, is bad news for Boeing, which has been alone on the market until now, and which is going through a deep crisis.
With the A321MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft), the European industry is creating a new opportunity for itself, while hoping that the military Airbus A400M, which is apparently showing remarkable capabilities and performance, will succeed in establishing itself on the market. Now that it has proved its worth, it needs to find new customers in addition to the original ones, and 174 orders, before the assembly line in Seville, Spain, comes to a halt.

In this tactical military transport niche, it’s the Brazilians who are carving out a handsome share of the market with their KC 390 Millenium produced by Embraer (created in the early 1960s with French engineer Max Holste). They’re making solid inroads on the venerable and immortal Hercules C130, which is a notable mark of talent. Already a dozen customer countries, including several in Europe (Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia) and even South Korea, Uncle Sam’s preserve! Perhaps India?
The American fortress is under attack, and the industry is investing and proposing new products. This battle of the titans is only just beginning.

A column by Michel Polacco for AeroMorning