The Airbus A400M new-generation airlifter ordered by the Luxembourg Armed Forces has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery.

The Luxembourg aircraft will be operated by the armed forces of Belgium and Luxembourg within a binational unit based in Belgium (Picture source: Airbus)

The aircraft, known as MSN104, took off from Seville (Spain), where the final assembly line is located, at 16:08 local time (CET) and landed back on site 5 hours later.

The A400M is the new strategic and tactical transport aircraft ordered by 7 European nations. Belgium and Luxembourg have ordered 8 aircraft (7 BEL + 1 LUX) with deliveries planned from mid 2020 to the end of 2023. These 8 aircraft will replace the current fleet of BEL C-130 and will be operated from Melsbroek as a multinational fleet BELUX municipality.

The Luxembourg aircraft will be operated by the armed forces of Belgium and Luxembourg within a binational unit based in Belgium. MSN104 is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2020.