(Reuters) – Turkey is preparing for further delays in the delivery of two A400M military transport aircraft it ordered from Airbus Group, according to defence officials in Ankara.

It signed a deal for 10 of the heavy cargo and troop carriers in 2003 as part of a group of seven European NATO nations, expecting its part of the order to be fulfilled by 2018.

After four years of delays in Europe’s largest defence project, Turkey received two of the aircraft in 2014 and was due to receive two more this year. But officials told Reuters that the latest deliveries are now likely to be late.

Airbus will have to pay a penalty or offer services for the new delays, they said, without giving a new timeline.

“The penalty will depend on the number of days the deliveries are delayed, so the figure is not clear yet. Receiving products and services from the company is also possible,” one of the officials said.

Airbus Military is in the process of negotiating a new delivery schedule for the A400M but has not so far published a timetable. However, industry sources say its base production plan of 14 aircraft for this year includes two for Turkey.

“We are currently discussing A400M production with all the customers and we will communicate further on that when the discussions are complete,” an Airbus Military spokesman said.

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