Kazakhstan has become the ninth nation to field the A400M, with Airbus Defence & Space having handed over its lead of two examples in Almaty.

Announcing the milestone on 10 December, the European airframer said the  tactical transport had been flown from its San Pablo final assembly site near Seville, Spain, “a few days earlier”. The aircraft – MSN139 – had conducted its first flight on 10 June.

Kazakhstan A400M

Source: Airbus Defence & Space

Kazakhstan’s lead A400M will be followed by a second example in 2026

“Proven for over a decade in military and humanitarian operations worldwide, the A400M is a game changer for the Kazakh Air Defence Forces, delivering unrivalled tactical and strategic capabilities in a single platform,” says Airbus Defence & Space head of air power Jean-Brice Dumont.

“A second A400M, currently in production, will further strengthen these capabilities on its delivery in 2026,” he adds, with the company also to “provide a full range of maintenance and training support”.

Airbus’s defence unit has now delivered more than a combined 130 A400Ms to European launch nations Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK, and to Malaysia. Indonesia also has two examples on order.

European Defence Editor Craig Hoyle has reported on the UK, European and international military aviation sector for almost 30 years, and has also been the Editor of Flight International since 2015. He joined FlightGlobal in 2003, and also compiles our annual World Air Forces directory.View full Profile

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