Lufthansa Technik: Airbus A321 handed over to the German Armed Forces

On Friday, Lufthansa Technik AG handed over a converted Airbus A321
to the German Armed Forces in the presence of Vice Admiral Carsten
Stawitzki, National Armaments Director of the Federal Ministry of
Defence (BMVg), and Gabriele Korb, Director-General of the Federal
Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service
Support (BAAINBw). In addition to military missions, the aircraft is
also used for political/parliamentary purposes.

On the customer side BAAINBw was responsible for the procurement and
on-schedule and on-budget conversion of the former Lufthansa aircraft
named "Neustadt an der Weinstraße". BAAINBw had awarded the contract
with a total volume of around EUR90 million to Lufthansa Technik
following a public tender at the beginning of 2017.

In addition to the purchase of the aircraft and its conversion, the
contract also included the procurement of spare parts and logistical
support to ensure operational readiness as well as the adaptation of
the aircraft to the requirements of the BMVg's Special Air Mission
Wing.

"Past experience has already shown that joint projects between
Bundeswehr and Lufthansa Technik have always been implemented very
professionally and smoothly," said Constanze Hufenbecher, Chief
Financial Officer of Lufthansa Technik. "We are delighted that this
tradition has continued with the conversion of this aircraft and that
we have been able to keep the cost and time schedule".

She added: "I would like to thank our partners from the Federal
Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service
Support for their trust and wish the Special Air Mission Wing of the
Federal Ministry of Defence "always happy landings" with this A321.
At the same time, I would like to explicitly thank our employees for
their great commitment. They have thus made a decisive contribution
to the successful completion of this project".

In around 18 months of layover time, the Airbus was initially
completely overhauled and received 180 modifications. In addition to
the airframe, the landing gear and the auxiliary power unit were also
overhauled. From a technical point of view, the 18-year-old aircraft
is now in mint condition. A flight kit with selected spare parts and
tools will make the A321 self-sufficient for flights to remote
regions in the future.

Subsequently, the aircraft was equipped with a VIP cabin and
additional systems, such as antennas for extended communication
options. Two additional fuel tanks and a further water tank extend
the range to about 5,000 km. The aircraft can carry up to 84
passengers, 14 in the VIP area and 70 in the delegation area. For
this purpose, the take-off weight was increased by four tons. In
addition, the Airbus received the corresponding paintwork of the
medium and long-haul fleet of the Special Air Mission Wing of the
BMVg.

The new aircraft cabin is strongly based on the modern and functional
design of the Airbus A319 and A340 of the BMVg's Special Air Mission
Wing, which are already in flight operation. Therefore a similar
layout as well as the same materials and surfaces were used. The
cabin is divided into different areas for government members and
their staff, as well as for accompanying delegations.

The cabin is also designed in such a way that part of the delegation
area can be converted into a flying ambulance station with intensive
medical care facilities (MedEvac) as well as additional oxygen and
separate power supply. This means that two wounded, injured or sick
persons can be transported under medical supervision.

In cooperation with Lufthansa Technical Training and Lufthansa
Aviation Training, technical and flying personnel are currently also
being qualified for this new aircraft type.

Lufthansa Technik and the German Armed Forces have been working
together successfully for a long time on cabin modifications and
maintenance work for the aircraft of the Special Air Mission Wing of
the BMVg. Lufthansa Technik currently provides support with various
technical services. These range from maintenance management to the
maintenance of aircraft, engines and components, as well as spare
parts supply, to the provision and revision of aviation and technical
documentation.