Germany's Luftwaffe completes the world's largest fleet of A400M military aircraft

The German Air Force has today finally completed its fleet of Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft.

A large elephant walk of the Luftwaffe displaying Germany's air power
Airbus tests the A400M Atlas at maximum load on an uneven runway

Germany is one of Airbus's partners and, therefore, one of the countries involved in the development of the A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, manufactured by that European company. The Central European country was the biggest supporter of this four-engine aircraft, with an initial order of 60 units, which was ultimately affected by the multi-year delays announced by the manufacturer, after which Germany reduced its order to 53 units, a figure set to make the Luftwaffe the world’s largest operator of that model.

Airbus Defence announced today the delivery of the 53rd A400M to the Luftwaffe, an event that took place this morning. The delivered aircraft bears the serial number 54+63. Above, we see this aircraft. To the right is one of the hangars at the Airbus factory in Seville, Spain, where these aircraft are assembled.

The aircraft delivered this morning bears the emblem of the Luftwaffe's 62nd Air Transport Wing (LTG 62), based at Wunstorf in Lower Saxony. Three of the Luftwaffe's four A400M squadrons operate from this base: the 1st Flight Squadron (MFG 1), dedicated to logistical transport, evacuation, and aerial refueling; the 2nd Flight Squadron (MFG 2), dedicated to tactical transport and evacuation missions; and the 3rd Flight Squadron (MFG 3), dedicated to special operations missions. A fourth squadron, the 4th Flight Squadron (MFG 3), is based in Bremen and is dedicated to crew training.

The first German A400M was delivered on December 18, 2014. Germany acquired the A400M to replace its aging twin-engine Transall C-160 transport aircraft, of which it operated 110 units and which was finally retired from service in the Luftwaffe on December 15, 2021. Due to delays in the delivery of the A400M, Germany had to purchase six Super Hercules aircraft from Lockheed: three C-130J transports and three KC-130J tankers, which are operated by a joint Franco-German unit based in Évreux, Normandy, and which also operates four French C-130Js and two French KC-130Js.

Germany has attempted to sell or lease 13 of these aircraft to other countries. There were plans to lease some units to the Czech Republic and sell 10 aircraft to Hungary, but both plans were cancelled.

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Photos: Airbus Defence.