Work on French A321 MPA to replace the Atlantique 2 advances

Airbus Defence and Space signed a contract on February 4, 2025 to undertake a risk assessment study for France on a future maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) based on the A321 airliner. The contract was awarded by the Direction Générale de l’Armement, the French defence procurement agency. Work will be completed over 24 months and follows a recently concluded architecture and feasibility study launched at the end of 2022. The studies will focus around the A321XLR, which was certified in July