On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, European company Airbus Defence and Space (part of the Airbus SE group) announced that it has signed a contract with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d’armement, OCCAR), acting on behalf of the General Directorate for Armaments (Direction générale de l’Armement, DGA) of the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans, to adapt A400M-180 Atlas transport aircraft for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions under the PMS (Parallel Mission System) program, using an onboard equipment package.
Photo: Airbus Defence and Space
„The A400M is a true Swiss Army knife for the armed forces that use it. It has the capabilities and potential to continue expanding the scope of its missions,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, Executive Vice President Air Power at Airbus Defence and Space. „With this development, the French Air and Space Force is acquiring an aircraft capable of becoming a tactical command and control (C2) tool in the air.”
The PMS development focuses on the integration of a new onboard mission system, as well as tactical situational awareness consoles installed in the cargo hold, which monitor various sensors and coordinate missions. Integration of an electro-optical sensor with the aircraft is also being pursued.
This new mission system aims to integrate additional sensors and communications systems, as well as to manage drones and effectors launched from the aircraft’s cargo hold. Ultimately, the aircraft crew will be able to coordinate missions involving ground forces, helicopters – in particular the Eurocopter EC665 Tigre HAD-F Mk II attack helicopters and H225M Caracal multirole helicopters – and multirole combat aircraft in cooperative engagement mode.
Following the completion of the development phase, the new package will be installed aboard the first French A400M in 2027 and flight-tested in 2028. A number of aircraft in the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’air et de l’espace) fleet will then be upgraded to incorporate the PMS kit. In January of this year, France received 25 of its 50 ordered aircraft (the manufacturer has delivered a total of 140 units, including recently the last, 53rd, unit to Germany and the 2nd for Indonesia). The order backlog covers 38 aircraft also destined for Kazakhstan and Spain. The manufacturer is currently seeking to sell further aircraft to the aforementioned Indonesia (the contract includes an option for four additional units) and Poland.
Furthermore, Airbus Defence and Space is already exploring the potential development of other A400M capabilities, such as long-range electronic warfare, a mothership function for launching drones and missiles in flight, an increase in payload capacity to 40 tonnes, and finally firefighting capabilities, in which France in particular has expressed interest. All of these enhancements will allow for a further expansion of the A400M’s capabilities and missions, which are essential to meet current and future global armed forces requirements.
France launches the development of new capabilities for the #A400M to equip the aircraft with multi-mission capabilities in the fields of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Thanks to the new mission system, the French A400Ms will be ready to play a key role in… pic.twitter.com/1KP9jyUMwQ
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) June 16, 2026
[#A400M ✈️] Renforcement des capacités opérationnelles
La DGA commande le système de mission parallèle (PMS) pour les A400M 🇫🇷
Cette décision renforce les capacités opérationnelles de la flotte de l’ @Armee_de_lair pour le combat aéroterrestre du futur ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/zmTYW3fZD8
— Direction générale de l’armement 🇫🇷 (@DGA) June 16, 2026
