A400M transport aircraft
Airbus A400M Atlas: Transporter, gas station and intensive care unit
The Airbus A400M is a high-wing aircraft with four turboprop engines, a pressurized cabin and a rear cargo door, and is designed as a strategic and tactical transport and tanker aircraft.
It can transport and airdrop personnel and materiel. Transports can be carried out in different variants. Up to 116 people can be accommodated in the A400M. The large cargo hold also makes it possible to transport different materiel such as one Tiger attack helicopter, one H145M light support helicopter, three Wolf all-terrain vehicles, one Fuchs armored transport vehicle or one Puma infantry fighting vehicle.
In addition to air transport, the A400M is also used as an airborne gas station. Other aircraft such as the Eurofighter can dock onto the A400M during flight and can be refueled at a speed of more than 500 km per hour. This increases the range of the refueled aircraft and their duration of stay in the area of operations. The German Air Force was the first A400M-operating nation to deploy this capability in 2019.
In addition to its capabilities as a transport aircraft and tanker, the A400M can also be used for the movement of patients. For this purpose, so-called patient transport units will be fitted into the cargo hold. They allow even patients requiring intensive care to be treated during the flight.
The Airbus A400M replaces the Transall C-160
The first Airbus A400M was delivered to the Bundeswehr on 18 December 2014. Currently, the Air Force has 42 A400M. The delivery of 53 aircraft to the Federal Republic of Germany is planned to be completed by the end of 2026.
With the steady growth of the fleet and the continuous increase in capabilities such as protected air transport, the ability to land on unpaved runways, the night visual flight capability and airdropping of personnel and materiel, the A400M has increasingly assumed the tasks of the Transall C-160, which was phased out after the disbandment of 63 Air Transport Wing at the end of 2021.
All Air Force Airbus A400M aircraft are stationed with 62 Air Transport Wing in Wunstorf.
Technical Data
| MANUFACTURER | Airbus Defence and Space |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | EPI TP400-D6 turboprop engine |
| ENGINE POWER | 8.250 kW / 10.838 PSPferdestärken |
| LENGTH | 45,10 m |
| HEIGHT | 14,70 m |
| WINGSPAN | 42,36 m |
| EMPTY WEIGHT | 78,6 t |
| MAX. TAKEOFF WEIGHT | 141 t |
| MAX. SPEED | 750 km/h at an altitude of 10 km 555 km/h at sea level |
| CRUISING SPEED | Mach 0,68 |
| SERVICE CEILING | approx. 12.000 m |
| RANGE | 3.300 km at full payload 4.535 km with additional load of 30 t 6.390 km with additional load of 20 t 8.700 km for transfers |
| CREW | 3 |
| INITIAL FLIGHT | 11.12.2009 |
| CARGO COMPARTMENT CAPACITY | 340 m³ |
Airbus A400M in Action
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In June 2019, soldiers of the Tank Demonstration Battalion board the Airbus A400M at Wunstorf Air Base during the exercise Noble Jump of the NATO Response Forces, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force )
Bundeswehr/Danny Blüggel -
A H145M utility helicopter is loaded into an Airbus A400M. The cargo compartment is 17.7 meters long, 3.8 meters high and four meters wide on the ground.
Bundeswehr/Johannes Heyn -
An Airbus A400M of 62 Air Transport Wing rolls to its parking position in the military section of Tegel Airport in Berlin. The shoulder-wing aircraft is 45.1 meters long, 14.7 meters high and has a wing span of more than 42 meters.
Bundeswehr/Jane Schmidt -
View of the modern digital cockpit of the A400M: Joystick controls, head-up displays feed data into the pilot's and co-pilot's field of view.
Bundeswehr/Jane Schmidt -
Generation flight of transport aircraft: The Airbus A400M to the far left, then the Transall C-160 and the candy bomber DC-3.
Bundeswehr/Kevin Schrief -
All 42 A400M Airbus aircraft of the German Air Force are stationed at Wunstorf Air Base near 62 Air Transport Wing. By the end of 2026, there will be 53 aircraft.
Bundeswehr/Simon Otte -
The Airbus A400M transport aircraft in the AAR (Air-to-Air Refueling) version simulates a refueling process.
Bundeswehr/Stefan Lüer -
An A400M AAR refuels two Eurofighter of 73 Tactical Air Force Wing "Steinhoff" , which are equipped with GBUGuided Bomb Unit (Guided Bomb Unit) 48 guided bombs.
Bundeswehr/Stefan Petersen -
Even and especially a tanker aircraft needs kerosene. The A400M AAR can refuel up to ten aircraft in one hour and deliver a total of around 40 tons of kerosene. A tank truck delivers the necessary supply.
Bundeswehr/Robin Göttsche -
As a tanker aircraft, the Airbus A400M has underwing refueling pods, which contain the air refuel hose. On the underside of the wing, the orientation strips for the pilots who want to refuel can be seen.
Bundeswehr/Robin Göttsche -
Medical equipment inside the Airbus A400M ICAE (Intensive Care Aeromedical Evacuation). Up to six people can receive medical care in the air.
Bundeswehr/Torsten Kraatz -
An Airbus A400M takes off from Gao International Airport in Mali. The Atlas does not need a long runway. 1,000 meters are sufficient for takeoff and landing. The landing gear can also operate on grass, sand, and gravel surfaces.
Bundeswehr/Jane Schmidt
