UK contracts Airbus to increase A400M availability
An RAF flight crew manoeuvres an A400M transport aircraft at low level. Via a contract with Airbus, the MoD now intends to increase the type's daily availability rate of the fleet of 22 aircraft from 10 to 13 aircraft. (Crown Copyright)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Airbus to increase availability of the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) fleet of A400M Atlas transport aircraft.
Announced on 1 October 2026, the GBP190 million (USD251 million) contract extension to Airbus' support deal for 22 A400M aircraft aims to boost the daily availability rate of the fleet by 30%.
“We have extended our contract with Airbus to maintain the RAF A400M fleet, increasing the number of mission-capable aircraft available each day to 13 by the end of 2027,” the MoD said, noting that the current rate stands at 10 aircraft per day.
The 31-month extension to the Medium-Term Contract means A400M support services will continue until April 2029.
The A400M entered operational service with the RAF in 2014, providing tactical airlift and strategic oversize lift capabilities complementing those of the Boeing Chinook and C-17 Globemaster III. It is able to carry a 25-tonne payload over 2,000 n miles to prepared and austere locations, and can accommodate 116 fully-equipped troops or cargo with a payload of 37 tonnes (being increased to 40 tonnes).
Normally located at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the A400M fleet is currently temporarily located at MoD Boscombe Down in southern Wiltshire (with occasional use of Bournemouth Airport in Dorset) while runway resurfacing work takes place at the type's home station.
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