Airbus A400M Atlas.

The French Air and Space Forces revealed that for the first time, on October 9th, an Airbus A400M Atlas had carried a Griffon between Djibouti and Orleans. The flight lasted seven hours and once again demonstrated the A400M's capabilities, as the Griffon weighs more than 24 tonnes. The Atlas, for its part, has a carrying capacity of 37 tonnes. A meticulous operation to load and unload the vehicle.

Redevelop the cargo hold.

In order to carry out this loading, the navigation mechanics were widely solicited to review the vehicle's loading procedures. "In terms of height, it was all a matter of a few centimetres," reports the captain. "The aim of the experiment was to officially approve the Griffon's air transport conditions given beforehand by the DGA," adds Major Gilles, the convoy's loadmaster.

Opex

This new capacity thus allows the A400M to go further in the missions carried out by the A400M and represents a real asset for OPEX. Indeed, coupled with its ability to land on rough terrain, the addition of a Griffon vehicle adds a new mission to the A400M and makes it a true tactical transport aircraft.