Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of Military TV. In today’s session we will
identify 8 Facts that You Need to Know About the Airbus A400M Atlas, The Replacement for
the C-130 Hercules. If you are curious on this topic, don’t go anywhere, stay tuned
only at this channel.
Before we begin, let’s take a brief look at the C-130 Hercules. The C-130 Hercules
has been the legendary heavy lift cargo transport of choice for years in the western air forces.
This is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built
originally by Lockheed. Moreover, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac,
and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other
roles, including for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather
reconnaissance, aerial refuelling, maritime patrol, aerial firefighting and has seen itself
adapted into other roles like the AC-130 Gunship. In addition, this aircraft is now the main
tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide and has been in service since being
introduced during the mid-1950s. Also, this aircraft is now one of the oldest military
aircraft in service and is continuing strong in American service, it is being replaced
in Europe with the Airbus A400M Atlas.
On the other side, we can see the A400M Atlas. The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European four-engine
turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical
airlifter with strategic capabilities to replace older transport aircraft, such as the Transall
C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Moreover, the Atlas has been in service since 2013 and
is now serving in a range of European air forces. Importantly, the Airbus A400M Atlas
is the European replacement for the C-130 Hercules. Here are what you need to know about
this aircraft.
Number 8, The purpose The A400M is sized between the C-130 and the
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. It can carry heavier loads than the C-130 and is able to
use rough landing strips. It also combines the ability to transport critical cargo with
the ability to deliver even to tactical positions with short, unprepared airstrips and serve
as a frontline tanker. This airplane can airlift in its large cargo bay most of the critical
armed forces equipment that no longer fits in previous generation tactical airlifters,
such as a heavy helicopter, an infantry fighting vehicle or a humanitarian excavator. Moreover,
the A400M allows for quick and cost-effective crisis response. The plane has also proven
useful in humanitarian and disaster relief missions, as well as VIP transportation. Along
with the transport role, the A400M can perform aerial refuelling and medical evacuation when
fitted with appropriate equipment. Additionally, this aircraft is able to carry equipment like
six land rovers and trailers, a Patriot missile system, or a truck and 25-ton trailer.
Number 7, The tactical capabilities The A400M is a larger, more modern, truly
versatile aircraft specifically designed for today’s requirements and those of the future.
Thanks to its good tactical performance and the ability to carry overweight loads over
long distances, the A400M fills the current logistic and tactical capability gap. With
the cockpit flight deck located at the very front of the fuselage and much of the internal
space is reserved for cargo, the aircraft’s internal dimensions include a cargo hold usable
width of four metres/13 ft 1 in, height of up to four metres/13 ft 1 in, and usable length
of 17.7 metres/58 ft.
Number 6, Delays and Near Cancellation The development of the Airbus A400M Atlas
was problematic, and it fell behind schedule and ran over budget. This nearly caused the
project to be cancelled by Airbus. However, the member European states decided to press
on and loan Airbus more money to complete the project. One issue was that the A400M
Atlas was being developed at the same time as the A380 and A350, which was perceived
as a competition for resources.
Number 5, Current Operators The A400M was introduced in May 2003 to meet
the demands of seven European countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain,
Turkey, and the United Kingdom, with Malaysia joining in 2005. The A400M is assembled in
Spain, with the wings designed mostly with composite materials and manufactured in the
United Kingdom, and the fuselage built in Germany. This aircraft made its first flight
on 11 December 2009. The first production aircraft was delivered to the French Air Force
in August 2013 and entered into service a year after. Moreover, it can be noted that
the majority of the air forces who operate these planes are European. The Germans placed
the most orders, with 53, followed by the French with 50, the Spanish with 27, the British
with 22, the Turkish with 10, Belgium at seven and even Luxembourg with one unit.
Number 4, Key Figures and Specifications The A400M is the most advanced airlifter with
21st-century state-of-the-art technologies that has been proven, certified, and is in-operations.
This aircraft has a maximum range of 4,800 nautical miles, with the top speed of Mach
0.72, a cargo holds volume of 340 m³ and delivery heavy payloads up to 37 tons. The
A400M Atlas has a capacity of 37 metric tons with a crew of 3 or 4. This airbus can carry
up to 116 fully equipped troops or paratroopers, together with space for other supporting personal
and equipment. Additionally, it has a max take-off weight of 141 metric tons and a max
landing weight of 123 metric tons.
Number 3, Performance The A400M has outperformed previous-generation
tactical airlifters in terms of range, speed, altitude, payload, and tactical performance,
allowing game-changing capabilities to be delivered to the point of need, such as near
a natural disaster or in a theatre of operations where strategic airlifters are unable to operate.
Moreover, The A400M has been specifically developed for low detectability, low vulnerability
and high survivability. Interestingly, the aircraft’s excellent self-protection and
survivability come from its high manoeuvrability, enhanced low-level flight capability, steep
descent and climb performance, short landing and take-off performance, tactical landing
capability, damage-tolerant flight controls, armoured cockpit and bullet-resistant windscreens.
Number 2, Design The A400M has a substantially larger payload
than the C-160 Transall and C-130, and the design makes extensive use of composite materials.
The aircraft has six-wheel high-flotation main landing gear and is capable of short,
soft field landings and take-offs, which is part of the requirement. Its cargo capacity
is predicted to double over existing aircraft, both in payload and volume, and range is increased
substantially as well. Furthermore, the Airbus A400M Atlas features a fly-by-wire system
and has around 30% of its structure made of composite materials. Its propellers are also
made of woven composite materials as well. Unlike the Hercules (which features straight
wings), the A400M Atlas has a swept-wing design. In addition, this airbus is also fitted with
a forward-looking infrared enhanced vision system (EVS) camera enabling an enhanced view
of the terrain in low light settings. It can also carry up to 25,000 kg of fuel and refuel
mid-air.
Number 1, Its Propellers Talking about the propellers, each set of
propellers rotates in opposite directions. The FH385 Ratier-Figeac propellers spin counter-clockwise,
while the FH386 propellers turn clockwise. Interestingly, this is unusual since the vast
majority of multi-propped aircraft have their propellers revolve in the same direction.
The counter-rotating propellers are achieved by having a gearbox that reverses the rotation
of the propeller. This eliminates the need to have engines that operate in reverse of
each other. This design increases lift and decreases the torque and prop wash on each
wing. In addition, it decreases yaw in the case of an engine failure. Lastly, it can
be concluded that the Airbus A400M Atlas managed to defy the odds and come into service, and
importantly it offers a larger and more capable option to air forces looking for a heavier
military cargo aircraft than the Super Hercules.
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