PARIS \u2014\u00a0The French aeronautics industry is seeing\u00a0a big increase in service support for\u00a0the M88 military engine, reflecting higher-than-expected flight hours on the Rafale fighter jet and recent\u00a0export sales, said Emmanuel Viellard, chairman of the aeronautics and defense equipment office of the trade association Groupment des Industries Fran\u00e7aises A\u00e9ronautiques et Spatiales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The flight hours are much higher than expected and there is a significant effort in maintenance,” Viellard said Thursday\u00a0at the GIFAS annual press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Work on the Snecma M88 motor is on a climb because\u00a0France is flying an active Chammal air campaign over Iraq and Syria, and has won export contracts for the Dassault Rafale <\/span>from Egypt and Qatar. Snecma is a unit of the Safran group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dassault Aviation has been negotiating with some 500 subcontractors over an increase in production to three Rafales per month by 2018 or 2019, compared with the present one per month, following the foreign sales signed and prospects of two more export wins. The prime contractor is delivering the twin-engined jet to France.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no problem for suppliers to boost production of the Rafale as the contracts already are in place and industrial capacity is there, Viellard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The whole supply chain is ready to support this effort,” he said. “We have the targets to meet to increase the production rate.” There will be spares to be supplied for the motors on the export planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Snecma spokeswoman said, <\/span>“We are in the process of organizing support for the services and the export countries,” a\u00a0Snecma spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n