UK plans to purchase additional A400M transport aircraft in late 2020s.

"Additional purchase of A400M is planned for the late 2020s" says an entry In a table detailing current and future UK Ministry of Defence expenditures.

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UK has already ordered 22 A400M aircraft with 20 having been delivered so far. The remaining two are expected for 2022 (Picture source: RAF)

Entering operational service with the Royal Air Force in 2014, Atlas (Atlas C.1 A400M) provides tactical airlift and strategic oversize lift capabilities complementing those of the Hercules and C-17 fleets.

Atlas (Atlas C.1 A400M) has the ability to carry a 37-tonne payload over 2,000nm to established and remote civilian and military airfields, and short unprepared or semi-prepared strips. Capable of operating at altitudes up to 40,000ft, Atlas also offers impressive low-level capability.  

It will accommodate as many as 116 fully-equipped troops; vehicles; helicopters, including a Chinook; mixed loads, including nine aircraft pallets and 54 passengers, or combinations of vehicles, pallets and personnel, up to a payload of 37 tonnes.

Loads are delivered by parachute, gravity extraction from the aircraft’s rear ramp (influenced by the cargo’s own weight), or by landing. Paratroops will be dropped from the aircraft’s dedicated paratroop doors, or from the rear ramp. The Atlas (Atlas C.1 A400M) is operated by two pilots and a Weapons Systems Operator (Crewman) (WSOp (Cmn)).