The defence ministers of seven NATO countries meeting in the French city of Le Castellet decided Friday not to abandon the troubled Airbus A400M military transport plane project, a German Defence Ministry spokesman said. In a statement, German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said governments would now discuss with Airbus how to continue the project. "The A400M project represents an important pillar in the improvement of military air transport capability and is therefore to make an essential contribution to European security and defence policies," Jung said. The meeting was called because several countries had expressed concerns over the continued delays and cost overruns of the project. The turboprop plane is intended to be an advanced, pan-European, replacement for the ageing US-made Lockheed C-130 Hercules. But the project has dragged on.
