Kazakhstan orders two A400M “Atlas” transport planes from Airbus – Military Zone

In the early 2010s, Airbus [EADS à l’époque, ndlr] had estimated that the export potential of the A400M “Atlas” transport aircraft, whose development was going through some turbulence at the time, was 400 to 500 aircraft. However, a German parliamentary report found such prospects too optimistic and estimated that 280 copies were indeed likely to find buyers abroad.

Only, and for the moment, these forecasts are struggling to materialize. After an order from Malaysia [pour quatre appareils, ndlr], Indonesia expressed interest in the A400M. A letter of intent was even signed in 2017 for the acquisition of five copies. But since then no contract has been signed. In any case, Airbus has not officially reported if this is the case.

Another possible customer was Kazakhstan. In December 2020, citing diplomatic sources, the Spanish daily ABC reported on discussions between Airbus and Noursoultan [ex-Astana, ndlr], relating to the possible acquisition of two A400M “Atlas”. And to explain that these would constitute a “perfect complement to the fleet of nine C-295, also assembled in Seville by Airbus, which are already exploited by the air force and the corps of border guards of Kazakhstan”.

Moreover, this is what Airbus sought to demonstrate at the KADEX arms fair. The industrialist had indeed assured that these two A400Ms would make it possible “to considerably extend the strategic and tactical capabilities” of the Kazakh air forces. In these efforts to convince Nursoultan, he had been able to count on the support of the… Royal Air Force, which sent one of its “Atlases” to Kazakhstan for demonstrations.

Obviously, this approach has paid off. Indeed, on September 1, Airbus announced that the Kazakh government had just signed a contract for the delivery of two A400Ms, without specifying the amount.

“The A400M will become the cornerstone of Kazakhstan’s tactical and strategic airlift operations,” commented Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space [ADS]. This new export contract brings the total number of A400M orders to 176 aircraft, a figure that we expect to increase in the near future, ”he added.

“With more than 100 aircraft delivered and 100,000 flight hours in operation, the A400M has proven its capabilities, reaching a state of maturity that many potential customers have been waiting for,” said Schoellhorn.

The first A400M will be delivered to the Kazakh air force in 2024. This will make Kazakhstan the ninth country to use this type of aircraft. [après la France, le Royaume-Uni, l’Allemagne, la Turquie, l’Espagne, la Malaisie, la Belgique et le Luxembourg].

Photo: Airbus