Gareth Jennings,
London - IHS Jane's
Defence Weekly
17 November 2016
Spain took delivery of its Airbus
Defence and Space (DS) A400M airlifter during a ceremony at the final assembly
line (FAL) in Seville on 17 November.
The formal handover of the aircraft, company serial MSN44, took
place around two-and-a-half months after the maiden flight, which was flown out
of the same facility in southern Spain.
As one of the principal partners in the multinational project,
Spain is contracted to procure 27 A400Ms to replace its ageing Lockheed Martin
C/ KC-130H Hercules aircraft. However, in May 2013 the country announced it was
looking to reduce this order to 14 aircraft because of budgetary pressures,
with the remainder to be sold off to third parties. The first 14 will be
delivered between now and 2022, with the remaining 13 postponed until at least
2025 in order for Madrid to find a buyer.
The Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire Español: EdAE) will base
its A400Ms at Zaragoza in the northeast of the country, from where they will
complement the Boeing 707-300 (T.17), Airbus DS C212 (T.12), CN235 (T.19), and
C295 (T.21) fixed-wing transport fleets.
Original post: janes.com
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