Luxembourg’s Military Receives New A400M Aircraft from Airbus
Luxembourg Welcomes New Airbus A400M Military Transport Aircraft
The Luxembourg Armed Forces are proud to announce the arrival of their Airbus A400M military transport aircraft. This aircraft was accepted at the A400M Final Assembly Line in Seville, Spain, and has already completed its ferry flight. The inaugural stop will be Luxembourg, before heading to the 15th Wing Air Transport in Melsbroek, Belgium, where a collaborative airlift unit will be established between Belgium and Luxembourg. This marks Luxembourg as the seventh operator of the A400M.
Designated as MSN104, this aircraft will serve both the Luxembourg and Belgian armed forces through their joint operational unit, complementing the seven A400M aircraft ordered by Belgium, which is set to receive its first unit shortly.
Alberto Gutierrez, Head of Military Aircraft at Airbus Defence and Space, expressed enthusiasm welcoming Luxembourg into the expanding A400M user community. He noted, “With 94 aircraft currently in service, the A400M is rapidly establishing itself as the vital air mobility solution for our clients in both military and civil sectors, evidenced by its recent deployments during the COVID-19 crisis.”
The A400M has recently expanded its operational capabilities, now allowing for simultaneous parachute deployment of up to 116 paratroopers through side doors, making it the only military transport aircraft equipped for automatic low-level flight under visual meteorological conditions. Additionally, it features advanced aerial delivery capabilities, enabling the automatic parachute extraction of single 16-tonne loads. The aircraft can also execute gravity drops of 25 tonnes and perform manual combat offloading of up to 19 tonnes on pallets in one pass or 25 tonnes in two passes on unpaved runways, a feat without precedent.
In further enhancements, the A400M has successfully conducted its first wet contacts for helicopter air-to-air refueling operations with the H225M helicopter, reinforcing its versatility in various military operations.
