Taking the field

Has the time come for the A400M?

“It’s been a long and winding road,” said Rafael Tentor, head of programs for Airbus Military. Sobriety around the A400M’s 10-year gestation has given way to palpable excitement at the manufacturer’s Seville delivery centre as the first aircraft prepares to enter service, something Airbus Military now calls “the right aircraft at the right time”.

At a briefing at the A400M production plant in June, the senior-most Airbus Military representatives were already planning a long-awaited resumption of sales campaigning.