Luxembourg has taken the delivery of its Airbus A400M, becoming the seventh operator of this military transport aircraft.
The Luxembourg Armed Forces accepted the delivery at the A400M Final Assembly Line in Seville, Spain.
The aircraft will be operated by a binational unit of Luxembourg Armed Forces and Belgium. Belgium is also procuring seven A400M aircraft, the first of which is slated to be delivered in the coming weeks.
In April, Luxembourg’s aircraft, known as MSN104, completed its maiden flight, a key milestone before the delivery.
The A400M will now join the 15th Wing Air Transport in Melsbroek (Belgium) with a brief stopover at Luxembourg.
Airbus Defence and Space Military Aircraft head Alberto Gutierrez said: “I welcome Luxembourg to the growing A400M user community.
“With 94 aircraft in service, the A400M is increasingly becoming the air mobility backbone of our customers, both in civil and military environments, as seen in recent Covid-19 crisis missions around the globe.”
The Airbus A400M is primarily designed to carry strategic loads to tactical locations.
Recently, it achieved additional capabilities including simultaneous paratrooper dispatch for a maximum of 116 paratroopers using the side doors, automatic low level flight in visual meteorological conditions and aerial delivery and combat off-load via parachute extraction.
The aircraft has a range of 8,900km and can be used to carry paratroopers, heavy vehicles, equipment and other cargo. It is capable of carrying payloads of up to 37t.
In August, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) deployed an Airbus A400M aircraft to support border patrol operations.
