Airbus Defence and Space officially delivers first A400M to Royal Air Force.

Executive Vice President Military Aircraft, Domingo Ureña Raso, said: “It is an enormous pleasure to see the A400M entering service with the RAF which is one of the leading exponents of military air mobility worldwide. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all our employees, especially those in the UK, as well as OCCAR and our UK customer for making this day possible.

“Airbus Defence and Space is today privileged to be the biggest provider of large aircraft to the RAF and we are absolutely committed to executing that responsibility to the very best of our abilities for many years to come.”

The A400M will replace the C-130 in RAF service but, because it can carry approximately twice as much load, or the same load twice as far, fewer aircraft will be required.

Uniquely it is able both to cruise at jet-like speeds and altitudes over intercontinental ranges due to its extremely powerful engines and advanced aerodynamic design, as well as to operate repeatedly from short and unprepared airstrips close to the scene of military action or humanitarian crisis.

At Brize Norton the A400M will operate alongside the RAF’s Airbus Voyager multi-role tanker transport fleet. The wings of both aircraft are built in the UK at Filton and Broughton respectively. Additionally the Voyager’s engines are produced in the UK by Rolls-Royce, which is also a member of the Europrop International consortium that produces the A400M’s TP400 engines.