Airbus highlights strong commitment to Vietnam

Speaking to reporters in advance of the Vietnam Defence Expo this week, Airbus executives underlined that Vietnam is a key market for Airbus where it has grown to become a supplier of choice for its commercial aircraft, defence, helicopter and space products.

Beyond the commercial aircraft sector, Airbus has a total of 20 rotorcraft and military transports in service, used for missions including transportation, utility, oil and gas, and military operations.

Vietnam today deploys a fleet of the popular C295 multirole aircraft for various transport missions with the air force, and a fleet of C212 aircraft in different configurations for the military services.

Spotlighting helicopters, Airbus is today a leader in the Vietnamese oil and gas segment, where it holds 50 percent of the country’s helicopter in-service fleet, including the multi-role H225 that plays a critical role in offshore operations and transportation. Beyond oil and gas, Airbus helicopters are also used extensively for military missions and VIP transportation.

Looking at the mid to long term, the company sees Vietnam’s military helicopter demand led by fleet modernisation and renewal for search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime security and utility, while the oil and gas segment will continue to drive civil helicopter growth.

This is where Airbus’ H145M and H225M are the right fit for the Vietnamese military segment, while the H175 are perfectly suited for oil and gas, and public services such as utility, search and rescue, and law enforcement.

Airbus also sees a growing demand for fleet modernisation of legacy military transports in the region including Vietnam, where the company is well placed to offer a strong C295 transport/maritime patrol mixed fleet solution to support both strategic and tactical requirements.

Beyond aircraft assets, the company underscored its successful track record supporting Vietnam’s space endeavours. Airbus developed, manufactured and launched VNREDSat-1, the country’s first Earth observation satellite, into orbit in 2013, which marked its full autonomous entry in space, and is still operating today well beyond its contracted life expectancy.

Riding on the success of the VNREDSat-1, Airbus is working closely with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology to define the solution for VNREDSat-2, which includes a transfer of technology programme.

Airbus noted the huge potential for Vietnam’s space development, and the company is ready to expand this current partnership to support the nation build and grow its space industry.

Airbus also reiterated the importance of its long-standing partnerships in Vietnam. Besides an expanded country office, the company has established a strong supplier ecosystem where local partners such as Artus (Meggitt) Vietnam and Nikkiso Vietnam play an integral role in aircraft equipment supply and parts manufacturing.

“Vietnam is a key partner to Airbus, whom we share the same vision for future aerospace development. We are fully dedicated to strengthening our local partnerships in support of this growing aerospace sector,” said Tri-Mai Hoang, Airbus Chief Representative for Vietnam.