France has awarded Safran Aircraft Engines a contract to provide maintenance services for the French Navy’s Atlantique 2 (ATL2) long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
Under the 18-year agreement, the company will modernize the Tyne engines of the service’s ATL2 fleet.
The program will be carried out as part of the French Aeronautical Maintenance Department’s collective “maintenance in operational condition” initiative to meet evolving requirements.
Once upgraded, the aging Tyne engines will continue to operate in-service until the ATL2s are decommissioned.
The French ATL2 Fleet
Developed by Dassault Aviation, the ATL2 is the French Armed Forces’ only domestically-made maritime patrol aircraft.
The French Navy has been flying the aircraft since its induction in the late 1990s to support the French Strategic Oceanic Force’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines while also providing naval forces protection and intelligence gathering.
The navy employs 22 ATL2 aircraft in Metropolitan France and other theaters of operation.
Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce produced Tyne turboprops in the 1950s for the ATL2s and other military planes, including the French-German Transall C-160 transport aircraft.
Maritime Patrol Revamp
In 2022, Dassault Aviation delivered two refurbished ATL2s to the French Navy as part of a 2013 modernization contract.
Another 18 upgraded ATL2 units are expected to be shipped to the navy by 2024.