BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: POST-SHIPMENT END-USE CHECK ON

UNCLAS PARIS 001746

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC FR
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: POST-SHIPMENT END-USE CHECK ON
LICENSE 05-050097262

REF: STATE 00078036


1. (U) Embassy contacted Defontaine planning and logistics chief,
Pascal Boutin (Tel: +33-02 40 67 89 07; email:
pascal-boutin@defontaine.com) and MOD Directorate General for
Armements U.S. Desk officer Maj. Eng. Damien LOUISE (Tel: + 33 1 46
19 67 00; email: damien.louise@dga.defense.gouv.fr) for
clarification of subject license.

2. Defontaine planning and logistics chief, Pascal Boutin, informed
us that Defontaine SA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp,
with sales in the range of $150 million annually and a leading
sub-contractor in aeronautics, automobile & wind power industries.
In response to the questions proposed (reftel),he told us:
--Defontaine has no MOD purchase orders. Their client is SNECMA,
which is the supplier of the engine M88 that supplies the Rafale
aircraft, so Defontaine only has SNECMA's orders.
--Boutin is personally not familiar with these documents (relating
to restrictions on U.S. Munitions List articles, regarding re-export
and retransfer). He indicated that Gaelle COUVE, purchaser at the
time of this order, was aware of the restrictions. (Note: Post
encouraged Boutin to familiarize Defontaine SA more broadly with
USML restrictions. End note.)
--Defontaine's role is to machine the raw parts purchased in the

U.S. and deliver them to SNECMA
Defontaine SA's main clients are members of SAFRAN group: SNECMA,
TURBOMECA, TECHSPACE, and GE aviation.


3. Maj. Louise of MOD/DGA queried Snecma for a status report, on
behalf of the embassy. Snecma/SAFRAN Group M88 project manager Jean
Dautremont (Tel: +33-1-69-87-74-91) responded as follows (informal
embassy translation):

First of all, the reference that you indicate for the raw forged
part is not 307-086-304-8 but 307-086-307-8; this reference
corresponds to the manufacturer's reference H03074951.

This p/n is a raw forged part intended to manufacture (sic) a
finished part with p/n suffix of -0 for the M88 engine (hooding of
the stage 3 enclosure). The 40 parts concerned were indeed ordered
by the company Defontaine SA from the U.S. company JFB Firth Rixson
- Forged Metals on March 3, 2008.

On this order, Snecma has not receives the finished parts to date
from Defontaine. According to our information

--19 parts were delivered by Firth Rixson to Defontaire and are
still in Defontaine's possession at 3 rue Louis Renault - BP 329 -
44803 SAINT-HERBLAIN CEDEX - France.

--21 parts are awaiting delivery by Firth Rixson in Defontaine. It
is envisaged (that they be delivered) at the beginning of October

2009. Thus the parts are probably, still at Firth Rixson - Forged
Metals.

(complimentary close)

END Snecma response text


4. Embassy also contacted Transports Hervouet SARL ( ZONE ARTISANALE
LA FORET, 44140 Le Bignon, FRANCE; Tel: +33.2.40.26.10.06; Fax:
+33.2.40.26.12.30) and learned that it is a small international
transportation/freight forwarding company with some 20 employees.
Personnel of the company stated that they did not take control of
the items in question, and had merely been subcontracted to clear
the parts through French customs formalities.

STAPLETON