About Airbus A400M:
- It is a European-built military transport aircraft.
- The aircraft is manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, a division of the European aerospace and defence firm Airbus.
- It combines the capability to carry strategic loads with the ability to deliver even into tactical locations with small and unprepared airstrips.
- It can carry large cargo, vehicles, troops, and paratroopers or be configured for medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions.
- Features:
- A powerful turboprop engine that gives the A400M the ability to operate from short, unimproved airfields.
- Maximum takeoff weight: 141 metric tons (309,000 pounds)
- Maximum payload: 37 metric tons (41 short tons).
- It can carry up to 116 fully equipped troops or 66 stretchers and 25 medical attendants. The cargo hold can take nine standard military pallets.
- Range: 8,900 kilometers (5,530 miles)
- Speed: 780 kilometers per hour (485 miles per hour)
- The aircraft is equipped with in-flight refuelling capabilities.
- The aircraft’s independent navigation system comprises an inertial reference system (IRS) integrated with a global positioning system (GPS).
- It features an advanced glass cockpit with modern avionics and control systems.
What is a turboprop aircraft?
- A turboprop aircraft uses a turbo-prop engine rather than a piston-powered engine or a jet engine.
- They have one or more gas-turbine engines connected to a gearbox that turns the propeller(s) to move the aircraft on the ground and through the air.
- Turboprop aircraft have lower operating costs than jets because they burn less fuel, but they are also slower than jets.
Q1) What is a C295 Transport Aircraft?
It is a new-generation tactical airlifter in the light and medium segment that will replace the aging Avro aircraft of the Indian Air Force. It was designed and built by Airbus, a European multinational aerospace corporation. It is robust and reliable but also highly versatile in terms of the number of different missions it can perform.
Source: Airbus pitches A-400M transport aircraft for IAF’s Medium Transport Aircraft contest
Last updated on January, 2026
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