영국과 프랑스의 항공모함 공동 운용 계획은 없던일로...

 

국방 예산 감축 압박을 받고 있는 영국이 프랑스와 항공모함을 공동으로 운용할 가능성이 있다는 영국 일간 The Times 紙

기사를 인용한 로이터 통신 8월 31일字 보도를 소개한 바 있습니다. 당 기사에 의하면, 9월 3일 양국 외무장관이 공동회견을

통해 상세한 내용을 발표할 것으로 역시 보도한 바 있습니다.

 

그러나 9월 3일 양국 외무장관은 회담 후 공식 발표문을 통해, 양국간의 항공모함에 대한 공동 운용계획은 없다고 밝혔다고

합니다. 반면 A400M 중형수송기와 공중급유기 (A330 MRTT) 그리고 항공모함을 제외한 해군 분야에서 공동 협력을 강화

해 나가기로 했다고 합니다.

 

일단 양국의 항공모함 운용계획, 특히 영국 입장에서 현재 건조가 진행 중인 2척의 차기 항공모함은 어떤 형태로든 진행이

되어질 것으로 보여지며, 반면 탑재 항공기/전투기에 대한 최종 결정은 좀더 지켜봐야 할 것으로 판단됩니다. 또한 일부

언론 및 분석에 의하면, 양국간의 항공모함 공동 운용 방안에 대해서는 여전히 협의가 진행 중 이라는 시각도 있습니다.

 

한편 이번 양국 외무장관 회담에서 언급된 A400M 중형수송기 공동 운용 문제에 대해서는 앞으로 많은 논란이 있을 것으로

보입니다. 특히 EADS 와 전체 개발 참여국간에 개발비 초과문제에 대한 해결책에 최종 합의가 이루어지지 않은 상태에서,

영국과 프랑스가 향후 A400M 에 대한 공동 운용 가능성을 공식적으로 밝혔다는 점은, 어떤 형태로든 양국이 현재 약속한

도입 물량의 축소가 불가피 할 것으로 관측되기 때문입니다.

 

만약 영국과 프랑스가 이러한 공동 운용을 바탕으로 A400M 도입물량에 대해서 추가적인 축소를 불러온다면, 개발 참여국

간의 외교적 문제로 번질 가능성이 커 보입니다.

 

지난 9월 3일 양국 외무장관 회담 이후 보도된 AP 와 로이터 통신 기사 전문을 함께 소개합니다.

 

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British defense chief dismisses idea of sharing aircraft carriers with France as unrealistic

Associated Press Newswires, 09/03/2010

Author: Laurent Lemel

Copyright 2010. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

 

PARIS (AP) 一 Britain's Defense Secretary Liam Fox said Friday that the idea of sharing aircraft carriers with historical rival France seems unrealistic, though he said other cooperation is likely as the countries look for ways to cut costs.

 

Fox met Friday in Paris with his French counterpart Herve Morin, who said the countries were discussing possibilities of sharing equipment, including the A400M, Airbus' military transport plane. Morin stressed: "I'm not talking about aircraft carriers."

 

The Times of London had reported earlier this week that Britain and France were moving closer to a deal to share aircraft carriers as part of moneysaving efforts by both governments.

 

The British defense secretary said any decision on carriers would have to wait until a current strategic review in Britain is complete.

 

"In terms of actually being able to share an aircraft carrier, I would have thought that was entirely unrealistic," Fox told reporters. "But when it comes to pooling assets in other areas, such as strategic or tactical lifts, I would have thought that that was a different case altogether."

 

Reports have circulated for years of a possible naval tie-up between France and Britain, neighbors whose long history of going to war against each other dates back to the Middle Ages.

 

Morin did not elaborate on how the two governments could share equipment including the A400M transport plane, an ambitious but troubled joint European defense project. The plane is running four years behind schedule and is euro3.5 billion over-budget, and despite reaching an agreement in principle earlier this year on how to share the cost overruns, the seven customer nations have still to sign the final agreement.

 

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UPDATE 1-France and UK may share A400M aircraft -ministers

Reuters News, 09/03/2010

Authors: John Irish and Matthias Blamont

© Reuters Limited 2010.

 

(Adds quotes, background)

 

PARIS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - France and Britain will consider sharing Europe's new A400M military transporter as part of closer military ties, but have ruled out common use of aircraft carriers, the countries' defence ministers said on Friday.

 

French Defence Minister Herve Morin and his British counterpart Liam Fox were discussing military cooperation at a meeting in Paris as the countries both seek defence savings to help rebalance public finances.

 

"When it comes to the procurement of A400M, it makes a great deal of sense when we have budgetary constraints," Fox told reporters. "We can use economies of scale and use the sharing of assets to ensure that we might have a greater pool of assets that we might have were we to act independently."

 

Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) faces a 37 billion pound shortfall over the next 10 years and analysts expect a cut of up to 20 percent in its budget by 2015, part of a government drive to slash spending.

 

"(The talks) are an ongoing process that we are following the pace of the British, who are in a deep strategic review with serious budget issues," Herve Morin said, adding specific areas being studied included the maintenance and operation of the A400M, a project of planemaker EADS.

 

The A400M, designed to carry soldiers and heavy equipment to combat zones, has run into technical problems in developing turboprop engines that have helped push the 20 billion euro ($25.6 billion) project years behind schedule and billions of euros over budget.

 

"If this was purely a process about getting a better bang for the buck, then it would not have a long-term future," Fox said. "Partnerships will be extremely important and in terms of countries (being) linked to deploy and spend ... for the UK it makes our two major allies the United states and France."

 

The two ministers dismissed a report they would share aircraft carriers as a cost cutting measure.

 

Britain is building two new carriers at a cost of 5.2 billion pounds ($8.0 billion) and France, which has only one aircraft carrier, has pushed back for several years the construction of a second. A decision on whether to go ahead has been delayed to 2011.

 

"In terms of sharing an aircraft carrier it would be unrealistic," Fox said.

 

(Additional reporting by Elisabeth Pineau; Editing by Brian Love and David Holmes)

 

 

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