Turkey receives 'flying castle' A400M plane, jointly manufactured with European countries

Turkey received an A400M aircraft made in Spain as part of a joint partnership with European countries on Saturday. Boosting the tactical transport capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the A400M will bring gains to Turkey through services to be provided to other countries and the aircraft's new customers.

As part of the A400M project carried out by the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), which Turkey is part of to meet the Air Forces Command's need for tactical transport tasks, the eighth aircraft was brought to Turkey after the completion of tests and acceptance activities in Seville, Spain where it was produced. The aircraft was deployed to the 2nd Air Transport Command in Kayseri.

The eighth aircraft produced at Airbus facilities has a higher configuration compared to the other seven aircraft previously taken into the Air Force's inventory. The aircraft will fortify the Air Force and contribute to national defense.

Turkey is one of six countries, along with Germany, Belgium, France, the U.K. and Spain, in the A400M aircraft project. Turkey will add a total of 10 A400M aircraft to its inventory by early 2022.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), along with the aviation industries of the participating countries, is responsible for the design and production of aircraft in proportion to the number of aircraft received by the countries. In addition to the main structural components of the A400M aircraft such as the Front Middle Body, Rear Body Upper Section, Paratrooper Doors, Emergency Exit Door, Rear Upper Escape Door and Tail Cone; Ailerons and Spoilers, which are the two of the most important flight control surfaces, are designed and produced by TAI engineers and technicians.

The A400M aircraft uses the TP400 engine, a unique turboprop engine designed by the Euro Prop International (EPI) consortium (Rolls-Royce, MTU, Snecma and ITP) – a subcontractor of AMSL. TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI) is one of EPI's subcontractors in engines. Within the scope of the A400M project, Turkey continues to gain capabilities. Retrofit (strengthening) activities, which will enable aircraft to reach their final configurations, will be carried out at the 2nd Air Maintenance Plant Directorate in Kayseri as of 2020. With the capabilities acquired, it is intended that other A400M using countries carry out the retrofit activities of their aircraft in Turkey.

The Global Service Support Agreement will be signed and enter into force next month in order to meet the logistics needs of aircraft that join the country's inventory. Under the agreement, Airbus will provide logistics support, services taking into account the common needs of the participating countries and the specific logistics needs of the countries.

The Re-Regulation Contract Amendment, signed last week, has brought financial relief to project, and includes arrangements on the delivery of aircraft with all contractual capabilities and the road map for updating the retrofit schedule. The development has paved the way for the A400M aircraft to reach potential customers.