Lockheed, Airbus Execs Meet at Paris Air Show to Discuss Tanker Partnership; Michele Evans Quoted

Senior leaders from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Airbus reaffirmed their partnership to explore and meet the aerial refueling needs of the U.S. military during a meeting at the Paris Air Show.

Michele Evans, executive vice president for Lockheed™s aeronautics business, said in a statement published Thursday the companies have been working to collaborate on providing an aerial refueling capability for the U.S. Air Force since the signing of a memorandum of agreement in December.

“We believe with Airbus’ and Lockheed Martin’s expertise in air refueling and innovative, combat-tested technologies such as low observability and networking operations, we make a powerful team to address the U.S. Air Force’s tanker needs today and into the future, Evans added.

Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus™ defense and space business, said the two firms look forward to presenting a tanker capability to the U.S. military in the near future.

Under the agreement, the companies will explore fee-for-service framework and other aerial refueling opportunities for the Airbus A330 multirole tanker transport aircraft.

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