Boeing Gets First Paris Air Show Order, For 2 Jets

"Many countries in Europe are looking at their airlift requirements and they need to make decisions in the short term," Peter Simmons, spokesman for Lockheed's Air Mobility division, said Wednesday. "We have been approached by a number of countries in Europe to fulfill that role."

Boeing also says it has held talks with members of the seven-nation consortium involved in the Airbus program.

The A400M transporter program was launched in 2003 with a joint order for 180 planes from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey. But Airbus missed a March 31 deadline for the first flight, and is negotiating new technical requirements and commercial terms with the seven buyers.

Analysts say the project could even be on the verge of collapse. The costly delay is especially painful for recession-hit governments.

Airbus suggested that despite the troubles, they might eventually be able to market the A400M to the United States.

Peter Scoffham, vice president of defense capability marketing at Airbus, said the military operation in Afghanistan has shown that U.S. forces increasingly need airlifters that can carry heavy armored vehicles. Twenty tons is the limit of their current capacity, while the A400M can carry up to 37 tons.