Pilots
Aircraft: Malaysian Air Force No. 2 impressed with the A400M Atlas, which will
start service in 2015
Deputy
Royal Malaysian Air Force chief Lt Gen Datuk Roslan Saad (left) giving the
thumbs up to the A400M Atlas after a test flight in France yesterday. With him
is Ed Strongman, Airbus Military chief test pilot.
Deputy
Royal Malaysian Air Force chief Lt-Gen Datuk Roslan Saad recently tested the
nation's next-generation transport aircraft in France.
Following
the test flight, which took place in Toulouse, the country's second highest
ranking military pilot gave the thumbs up to the Airbus Military A400M
airlifter, which was recently given the codename Atlas.
"It
is an enormous pleasure to fly the aircraft that is going to be at the heart of
the RMAF's transport capabilities in the future.
"It
is a real 'pilot's aircraft' and I look forward to seeing it enter service so
that we can apply its capabilities on a wide variety of missions," said
Roslan.
The
government is expected to take delivery of the first aircraft in January 2015.
The
agreement to buy the A400Ms was first highlighted in December 2005. A few days
later, a memorandum of understanding for the procurement of four aircraft for
the RMAF was signed between the government and Airbus Military.
The
negotiations also centred on making the Malaysian aerospace industry a partner
in the A400M programme.
Along
with the deal for the aircraft, Airbus Military also signed a RM907 million
agreement in designing and manufacturing composite A400M airframe parts with
Composites Technologies Research Sdn Bhd.
Larger than
the C-130 Hercules transport plane, which is currently used by the RMAF, the
A400M was purchased to boost the RMAF's capabilities to transport cargo and
troops. It has a length of 43.8m with a wingspan of 42.4m and a height of
14.6m.
It is a
multi-role military tactical airlifter built to compete with other aircraft
companies in replacing the ageing fleets of Hercules and C-160 Transall planes
in air forces around the world.
With a
payload of 37 tonnes, the A400M can carry twice the load of the Hercules. It is
capable of conducting strategic operations, tactical missions and delivering
fuel.
The
aircraft has a high-flotation landing gear which allows take-offs and landings
on short, unpaved airfields. This is crucial in battlefield conditions where
the aircraft can land on semi-prepared airstrips with less than 1km of runway.
A total
of 174 aircraft had been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
The
aircraft programme, however, had been plagued by problems that caused customers
to receive their planes late. The RMAF was supposed to take delivery of its
first plane next year.
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