French officers to be tried for corruption in strategic airlift contract awards

A trial involving several high-ranking French military officers and executives from a logistics company, International Chartering Systems (ICS), began on September 9, 2024, at the Paris Criminal Court.  

The case centers around allegations of corruption and favoritism in the awarding of strategic air transport contracts for France’s overseas military operations, the defense media outlet Opex360 reported. The trial is scheduled to run until September 25, 2024. 

The charges, including favoritism, passive corruption, violation of professional secrecy, and illegal taking of interests, involve eight military personnel and two ICS executives.  

The most serious accusations are against a former chief of staff of the Joint Logistics Support Operations and Movement Center (CSOA), accused of favoritism and corruption. The officer allegedly improperly influenced the awarding of contracts to ICS and was later hired by the company. Other military personnel involved are accused of favoring ICS without personal gain. 

The case originated in 2016 when the French Senate Finance Committee raised concerns about the Ministry of Armed Forces’ reliance on private companies for strategic air transport. The Court of Auditors investigated and found that ICS had significantly increased its rates between 2016 and 2017, sparking concerns about the fairness of the contract award process.  

An investigation was launched in 2017, leading to searches of the French Ministry of Armed Forces and ICS premises. Evidence of communication between military officers and ICS managers at critical moments in contract decisions was uncovered. According to AFP news agency, the additional costs for the French military are estimated at €16.3 million. 

Shortage of strategic airlift capacity in Europe 

A German CH53 helicopter being loaded into the Beluga (Credit: Airbus Defence and Space)Outsized cargo capacity for European armed forces, especially for France, has been disrupted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the destruction of the Antonov An-225 Mriya and reduced availability of Antonov freighters. 

To introduce an alternative for transporting outsized military cargo, Airbus Defense & Space has developed a self-funded cargo loading system and jig that allows heavy military equipment to be loaded into the Airbus Beluga A300-600ST.  

However, the BelugaST and even its bigger evolution, the BelugaXL, cannot match the performance of Antonov aircraft, particularly the An-124-100 Ruslan or the now-destroyed An-225 Mriya. While the BelugaST has a lifting capacity of 35 tons, the Ruslan can carry 150 tons. The Mriya was capable of transporting 250 tons.  

Despite these limitations, the BelugaST may be a temporary solution until a more robust replacement is developed. On January 9, 2024, Airbus Beluga Transport, a subsidiary of the European aircraft manufacturer dedicated to external oversized air cargo operations, obtained its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC).  

NATO and European Union countries have launched the Strategic Air Transport for Outsized Cargo (SATOC) project to address the strategic airlift shortfall. Coordinated by Germany, with participation from several other countries, the project aims to identify and harmonize requirements for a common European solution for outsized cargo transport, with potential solutions expected by 2026. 

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