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AIRBUS A400M ATLAS 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION 93

Type: Four-crew strategic airlifter

First fl ight: December 11, 2009, entered service November 2014

Powerplant: Four 11,000shp (8,200kW) Europrop TP400-D6 turboprops

Dimensions: Span 139ft 1in (42.40m), length 148ft 0in (45.10m)

Weights: Empty 168,654lb (76,500kg), all-up 310,852lb (141,000kg)

Max speed: 460mph (741km/h) at 40,000ft (12,192m)

Range: 4,718 miles (7,593km)

Capacity: 116 fully-equipped troops or 81,600lb (37,000kg) of cargo

Replaces: C-130K Hercules

Taken on charge: 22 to be in service by 2021

Replaced by: N /A

AIRBUS A400M ATLAS

Above

Airbus A400M Atlas

ZM400 was the fi rst

of 22 Airbus A400M

Atlas airframes to

be delivered to the

RAF. ANDY HAY/WWW.

FLYINGART.CO.UK

Left

An RAF Airbus A400M

Atlas carrying out

spectacular test

landings and take-

offs on a beach at

Pembrey Air Weapons

Range in South

Wales. The trials were

organised by the MoD

in conjunction with

Airbus and the RAF.

ALL CROWN COPYRIGHT

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“The aircraft can carry 116 fully equipped

troops, vehicles, helicopters (including a

Chinook) and mixed loads including nine

pallets of cargo (up to 37 tonnes) and 54

passengers simultaneously.”

of the A380. There are two electrical
systems that provide redundancy
protection against battle damage.
Much of the airframe is
manufactured from carbon fibre-
reinforced plastic, including the
eight-bladed scimitar propellers fitted
to the four 11,000shp Europrop
TP400-D6 engines – the most
powerful turboprop in operational
service in the West. The two
propellers on each wing turn in
opposite directions to reduce torque.
Within the cockpit a forward-
looking infrared-enhanced vision
system (EVS) camera improves
the view of terrain ahead in low-
visibility conditions. These images
are displayed on the head-up display
(HUD) as is the Multi-Colour
Infrared Alerting Sensor (MIRAS)
missile warning sensor.

DELAYS
The prototype A400M (F-WWMT)
was due to perform its maiden flight
in 2008, but delays to the project
meant the aircraft didn’t take to the
skies until December 11, 2009.

In early 2009 Airbus Military

announced the first A400M delivery

would be postponed until at least

2012 and the delays resulted in

the RAF leasing (and subsequently

purchasing) Boeing C-17s to fill

the capability gap. The UK also

considered acquiring additional

C-130Js in place of the A400M,

and by the end of 2009 Airbus

acknowledged the programme

would not break even without sales

outside NATO countries. The seven

European nations announced they

would continue to support the

project and in November 2010,

Belgium, Britain, France, Germany,

Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey

finalised their contracts and agreed

to lend Airbus €1.5 billion – but by

now the programme was three years

behind schedule. The UK also cut its

order from 25 to 22 aircraft.

In the meantime, flight-testing of

the A400M progressed and the first

paratrooper jumps were performed

in November 2010 – with Airbus

CEO Tom Enders among the

first jumpers.

OPERATIONAL

The type was officially named

Atlas in July 2012. The first aircraft

(F-RBAA) was delivered to the

French Air Force on August 1,

2013 and the French would perform

the A400M’s first operational

mission, a flight to Mali, on

December 29, 2013.

Turkey would be the next nation to

receive the A400M and in November

2014 the RAF accepted the first of its

long-awaited examples (ZM400). By

September 2015 the UK had become

the A400M fleet leader in terms of

flying hours, with 900 hours flown

across 300 sorties, achieved by the

fleet of four aircraft.

Today the RAF’s Atlas fleet is split

between 206, 70 and 24 Squadrons.

The aircraft can carry 116 fully

equipped troops, vehicles, helicopters

(including a Chinook) and mixed

loads including nine pallets of

cargo (up to 37 tonnes) and 54

passengers simultaneously. Loads can

be delivered by parachute, gravity

extraction from the aircraft’s rear

ramp (influenced by the cargo’s own

weight), or by landing. Paratroopers

can be dropped from the aircraft’s

dedicated para doors, or from the

rear ramp.

By the summer of 2018, 70

Squadron was employing the A400M

globally in its strategic capacity,

while 24 Squadron was delivering

trained crews alongside its C-17 and

Hercules output. Meanwhile, 206

(Reserve) Heavy Aircraft Test &

Evaluation Squadron was extending

and clearing the type’s tactical

capability, including natural surface

runway and load-dropping trials.

The RAF expects to receive the last

of 22 aircraft on order around 2021,

with full operational capability in the

tactical role declared soon after.