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What is Airbus A400M?

26-08-2023

01:27 PM

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1 min read
What is Airbus A400M? Blog Image

Overview:

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus recently pitched its A-400M transport aircraft in response to the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Request For Information (RFI) for a Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) with a carrying capacity of 18 to 30 tonnes.

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