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World Defense & Security Industry News - Airbus DS
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Airbus DS reaches milestone with 50th A400M airlifter handover
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Airbus Defence and Space today reached an important milestone with the delivery of the 50th A400M new generation airlifter to the German Air Force marking a key milestone for an aircraft which is transforming the world of air mobility.
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 (Credit: Airbus DS) |
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The aircraft, known as MSN59, is the twelfth to be delivered this year at the Final Assembly Line in Seville and the thirteenth to be accepted by Germany, the aircraft maker said in a statement.
The A400M is steadily becoming the backbone of the European transport fleet and in recent weeks began to demonstrate its full potential as aircraft from Germany, France and the UK undertook intensive hurricane relief missions in the Caribbean. MSN59 will shortly be ferried to Wunstorf, Lower Saxony which is home to Germany’s A400M unit – Air Transport Wing 62. With a maximum payload of up to 37 tonnes (81 600 lb) and a volume of 340 m3 (12 000 ft3), the A400M can carry numerous pieces of outsize cargo including, vehicles and helicopters that are too large or too heavy for previous generation tactical airlifters, for example, an NH90 or a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, or two heavy armoured vehicles for military purposes. Thanks to its four unique Europrop International (EPI) TP 400 turboprops, the A400M has the capability to fly distances up to 4,700 nm / 8,700 km, at a cruising altitude up to 37,000 ft, and at a speed of up to Mach 0.72, very similar to that of a turbofan powered airlifter. It can even fly up to 40,000 ft for special operations. |
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