Breaking news
France takes delivery of its seventh Airbus A400M military airlifter.
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World Aviation Defense & Security News - France
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| France takes delivery of its seventh Airbus A400M military airlifter | |||
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The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) announced today it has received on Friday June 19, 2015 the seventh A400M Atlas military transport aircraft ordered for the French Air Force. The aircraft received the MSN19 serial number. In addition to capabalities already available on previously delivered aircraft, MSN19 comes with the ability to deploy airborne troops from the rear ramp.
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 French Air Force's Airbus A400M military airlifter |
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This is the thirteenth production aircraft delivered on 174 ordered. Six A400Ms have already been delivered to France, two to Turkey and to UK and one to Germany. A first A400M was also delivered to Malaysia in March 2015.
A six week parachute drop test using an A400M aircraft will go ahead by end June, a French defense official said on Wednesday at Paris Air Show 2015 in Paris, France. The planned campaign was held up after an A400M crashed in Spain last month. 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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