Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how he plans to apply the recommendations of the Haddan-Cave report of the Nimrod Review to the A400M Future Length Aircraft development programme.

The A400M Atlas development programme is nearing completion and the aircraft is already in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other air forces.

The Haddon-Cave report made a number of recommendations, including the establishment of the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) as the body responsible for the governance of all aspects of military aviation and to refresh the regulatory framework. The Atlas aircraft operated by the RAF are compliant with MAA regulations, either prescriptively or by an acceptable alternative means of compliance. In addition, the In service support service based at RAF Brize Norton that maintains these aircraft is also regulated by the MAA, and has received all of the required approvals.

More specifically, the operation of the RAF Atlas fleet follows the construct recommended in the Haddon-Cave report, namely that a Duty Holder governs the use of the aircraft, and that a release to service authority provides the operating approval, and also approves the certification basis of the aircraft. A separate engineering authority provides the approved data for the aircraft, and the RAF continuing airworthiness management organization operates within the bounds of the approved data, under the authority of the delivery duty holder. Any modifications to the aircraft will be managed by the independent, multinational certification and qualification organization, with any major design changes also being approved by the MAA.