Aircraft Industry: Turkey to receive first Airbus A400M transport plane next year

A400M military transport

Turkey is to receive its first A400M aircraft, designed and built by an international consortium with the country’s participation, next year, Hürriyet newspaper reported yesterday.

The A400M, a military transport aircraft designed by Airbus, will bring strategic power to the Turkish military with its long range and high capacity. The giant aircraft features four engines, developed by Rolls Royce and MTU, and has a capacity of 37 tons.

A400M’s have a cruising altitude of 13,300 meters and a ferry range of 8,700 kilometers. The most important feature of the aircraft is its ability to take off on a 750-meter air strip with a load of 25 tons.

Airbus has made an offer to Turkey to open a regional maintenance center for A400M’s in the country. The company targets a market of 1,000 A400M’s in the next 20 years. In a separate move Airbus offered Turkey the opportunity to participate in building the Beluga EX, another giant transportation aircraft.

For more: ECONOMICS - Turkey to receive first A400M plane next year