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8th A400M for France, 3rd for Germany

(credit: Luftwaffe/Peter Breuer)
(credit: Luftwaffe/Peter Breuer)

(B2) Airbus accelerated the pace of its A400M deliveries to customers in December. In quick succession, he delivered three devices.

On December 10, he delivered the second Luftwaffe aircraft. And, 11 days later, he repeated with the delivery of the third aircraft which landed on December 21 at 18 p.m., at Wunstorf air base. " After a long wait, between the first and the second device ", it is " an extremely important milestone for the 62nd LTG we underline at the German air command. The last A400M which bears the identifier 54 + 02 will be integrated, like the previous one, into the 62nd air transport squadron (62nd LTG - Lufttransportgeschwaders).

For its part, in France, the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) received its eighth copy of the A22M on Tuesday, December 400. The device, which bears the serial number MSN31, has a first capability of dropping paratroopers in free fall by the rear ramp and by the side doors of the device (like the previous copy, the MSN19 delivered in June ). Above all, it is the first French aircraft to be equipped with the enhanced visualization system EVS (Enhanced Visualization System) which allows flying in poor visibility conditions, particularly at very low altitude on sandy terrain. A specificity very popular with the French army in its various operations, particularly in Africa, allowing the dropping of equipment.

At the end of 2015, there were therefore today 18 A400Ms delivered and operational: 8 in France, 3 in Germany and 4 in the United Kingdom, 2 in Turkey, 1 in Malaysia.

(NGV)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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