SEVILLE (Spain), March 26, 2018, Author: Galina Zdravkova (Bm), Photo by Africandefence.net

On the 22nd March Airbus Defence and Space SAS announced their latest delivery of two A400Ms to two different European countries in one day – Germany and France. Such a delivery in one single day to two different nations is the first in the history of the Company. The new A400M airlifter is the 18th addition to the A400M fleet of the German Air Force, the 14th addition to the A400M fleet of the French Air Force and the 60th and 61st A400M aircraft respectively handed over by Airbus, reported airforce-technology.com.

“It is a great pleasure to see two of the leading OCCAR nations receiving these superb aircraft on the same day in a year when the organisation is itself celebrating the 20th anniversary of the signature of its Convention. This is testimony to the effective work performed by OCCAR’s A400M team over many years in managing this exceptionally complex programme,” stated Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño – the director of OCCAR (the European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation). The Organization is responsible for the management of the the A400M Programme and represented Germany and France at the ceremony for handing over of the aircrafts in Seville, Spain on 20th March.

The tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities, Airbus A400M, is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. Its maiden flight took place on 11th December 2009 exactly from Seville, Spain. This type of Airbus airlifters are usually used for transportation purposes, but if appropriately equipped, they can participate in medical evacuation and perform air-to-air refuelling, airdropping of personnel and equipment, etc. It can carry up to 37 t of equipment.