Today's armed forces need flexible and financially appropriate tools to quickly transport and deploy personnel and resources. This need was reflected in the common "European Personnel Requirement", adopted in 1997 by eight European countries, all NATO members. Following the evaluation of several proposals to meet this requirement, countries announced on July 27, 2000 that their election was in favor of the Airbus A400M proposal.
A new design, the A400M is a large transport aircraft designed to meet customer needs at an optimum level. Offering more interoperability opportunities, the aircraft offers multinational training support packages with the potential to save life.
A400M is an OCCAR (Common Armament Cooperation Organization) project. Turkey is not a member of OCC is the project partner countries.
The program was officially launched in May 2003 and integrated into OCCAR. Although the project was based on the 1980s, the A400M project originally started with OCCAR. The current intention of the participating countries is to supply 170 aircraft. Countries and order quantities are as follows;
- Germany: 53
- France: 50
- Spain: 27
- UK: 22
- Turkey: 10
- Belgium: 7
- Luxembourg: 1
Malaysia, which is not a program member, has ordered 4 aircraft.
A400M Military Transport Aircraft
The A400M “Atlas”, which can carry strategic loads, has the capability of handling tactical shipping on unprepared runways. A400M can carry a variety of armored vehicles such as cargo helicopters, ZMAs, and many different monolithic and segmented loads. In addition to military transports, it can serve in emergency and special operations such as natural disasters and medical evacuations. Likewise, the Turkish Air Force successfully used A400Ms in operations such as earthquakes and medical evacuations.
The A400M transport aircraft can undertake personnel transport and passenger transfer with the seat system that can be disassembled. In this context, the Turkish Air Force's evacuation operation was carried out with the A19M of the Turkish Air Force to bring Turkish and fellow citizens of Turkey to our country in order not to be affected by the COVID-400 virus, which originates in Wuhan, China. In this Operation, seats were fitted to A400M suitable for carrying passengers and high KRBN isolation was also performed.
Turkish Air Force was created in January 2020 after the earthquake that occurred in Elazig provinces of Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey Elazığ an air bridge over the particular. The main actor of this air bridge was five A400M transport aircraft from the Turkish Air Force.
The first production aircraft of the A11M, which made its first flight on December 2009, 400, was delivered to the French Air Force in August 2013 and was put into service at the end of a year. While the A400M transport aircraft has been actively taking part in user air operations in Iraq and Syria recently; Afghanistan, Central African Republic, the African Sahel Region, has seen its financial and operational use in France and Turkey's military operations in the Middle East. Qatar and Turkey took place as the dominant transport platform A400M military activities in Somalia.
A400M Specifications
- Crew: 3-4 (2 pilots, 3 optional, 1 loading supervisor)
- Capacity: 37,000 kg (82,000 lb), 116 fully equipped soldiers / paratroopers, 66 stretchers and 25 medical personnel,
- Length: 43.8 m (143 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 42.4 m (139 ft 1 in)
- Height: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
- Empty Weight: 70 tons (154,000 lb)
- Maximum Takeoff Weight: 130 tons (287,000 lb)
- Total Internal Fuel: 46.7 tons (103,000 lb)
- Maximum Landing Weight: 114 tons (251,000 lb)
- Maximum Useful Load: 37 tons (82,000 lb)
- Engine (prop): EPI (EuroProp International) TP400-D6
- Prop type: turboprop
- Number of probes: 4
- Main power: 8,250 kW (11,000 hp)
- Maximum cruising speed: 780 km / h (421 kt)
- Travel speed range: Mach 0.68 - 0.72
- Maximum Mission Speed: 300 kt CAS (560 km / h, 350 mph)
- First Navigational Altitude: at MTOW: 9,000 m (29,000 ft)
- Maximum Altitude: 11,300 m (37,000 ft)
- Maximum Mission Height - Special Operations: 12,000 m (40,000 ft)
- Range:With maximum load: 3,300 km (1,782 nmi)
- Range with 0-ton load: 4,800 km (2,592 nmi)
- Range with 20-ton load: 6,950 km (3,753 nmi)
- No Load Flight: 9,300 km (5,022 nmi)
- Tactical Takeoff Distance: 940 m (3 ft)
- Tactical Landing Distance: 625 m (2 ft)
- Turning radius (on the ground): M 28.6
Transport Capability of A400M
With a maximum carrying capacity of 37 tons and a volume of 340 m400, the A90M armored combat vehicles can carry a wide variety of loads such as NH47 and CH-2019 helicopters. In 400, the A80M successfully performed the certification flight test for the simultaneous jump of XNUMX equipped paratroopers from both side doors.
The A400M can transport to unpaved ground tracks, runways that do not have sufficient length, to runways that do not have parking and maneuver space limited ground services. With a payload of up to 400 tons of A25M, the short, soft and unprepared CBR750 under 6 meters can take off and land on the runway.
The A400M Atlas transport aircraft of the Turkish Air Force has launched two T-15 ATAK attack type helicopters at the 2015nd Land Aviation Regiment Command in Malatya Tulga on April 2, 2, the 129th Air Transport Main in Kayseri Erkilet. He successfully moved to the Base Command.
A400M's Engine
Powered by four EuroProp International (EPI) TP 400 turboprop engines, the A400M is capable of flying with Mach 8.900 speed, with a maximum range of 37.000 km, cruising altitude up to 3700 ft / 0.72 meters. The A400M can fly at an altitude of 40.000 ft / 12.200 meters for special operations.
A400M Air Fuel Supply Capability
The A400M has been designed as a dual role transport and tanker aircraft from the beginning of the project. It can turn into a cost-effective refueling aircraft while meeting the need for a versatile logistics and tactical aircraft of the air force.
An A400M aircraft that came out of the production line as standard had most of the equipment and software to perform a refueling operation using the two-point probe-and-drogue method. When any A400M probe receives hardware receivers, it can quickly access the ability to refuel at two points.
It has a basic fuel capacity of 400 liters, which can be increased further with additional tanks placed in the A63.500M cargo area.
By completing the certification flight tests for the A2019M Cargo Holding Tanks (CHT) refueling unit in 400, Airbus has taken a major step towards the aircraft's full certification for air tanker missions.
Air refueling can be done by two hose-mounted hoses or through a single center line at the rear.
The hoses on the wings can provide up to 1.200 kilograms of flow per minute to the receiving aircraft. Fuel flows of up to 1.800 kilograms per minute can be achieved through the center line. The A400M can be equipped with three cameras controlled from the cockpit by the co-pilot to monitor day and night refueling operations.
Using the A400M probe-and-drogue method - according to the aircraft - it can transfer fuel to slow helicopters, fighter jets or another A400M aircraft.
A400M air cargo drop capability
The A400M can drop up to 116 fully equipped paratroopers from various altitudes. It can reduce the speed of the paratroopers up to 110 knots to reduce the drop distribution to the ground.
The A400M can drop up to 25 tons of container or crawler cargo with a parachute. The calculated air discharge point based on the automatic discharge system automatically identifies the discharge point for optimum delivery accuracy, including wind effects corrections.
Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC)
The A400M is equipped with eight stretchers as standard and they are permanently stored on board. However, with the arrangement to be made for the MEDEVAC (Medical Evacuation) operation, 66 NATO standard stretchers and 25 health personnel can reach the carrying capacity.
A400M and Turkey
Turkey is one of the A400M project's design and manufacturing partners.
With the A400M Project, TUSAŞ has switched from “Painting to Production” technology to “Design to Production” technology. Due to the responsibility of integrated logistics support after delivery, design and engineering support will be provided throughout the life of the aircraft.
In addition to the metallic and composite structural work package that TUSAŞ is responsible for, TUSAŞ has also assumed the first degree design and supply responsibility for all A400M aircraft interior and exterior lighting systems (excluding cockpit) and waste / clean water systems.
The components undertaken the design and production of Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A.Ş. in the A400M supply chain are as follows:
- Front middle body,
- Rear body upper part,
- Parachutist gates,
- Emergency exit door,
- Rear top escape cap,
- Tail cone,
- Wings and
- Speed brakes
Test-acceptance activities of the ninth of the A12M ATLAS aircraft, the first of which was added to the inventory on 2014 May 400, were completed in August 2019 in Seville.
Retrofit work in Turkey
Turkey within the scope of the A400M program, continues to gain capability. The retrofit (strengthening works) activities that will enable the planes to reach their final configurations will be carried out in Kayseri 2020nd Air Maintenance Factory Directorate as of 2.
Earned protection system to users of the A400M aircraft retrofit activities in Turkey aimed at realization of other countries.
A400M is actively used
A400M is a transport aircraft that is actively used by the Turkish Air Force. The Turkish Air Force is also loved by aircraft personnel who respond to their needs at a satisfactory level.
Turkey A400M evacuation operations to aid its activities in remote geography, using military action to build up a broad framework airlift transport personnel in the disaster.
Some featured tasks using A400M
- Evacuation of COVID-19 from Vuhan
- Humanitarian aid operation to Rohingya Muslims taking refuge in Bangladesh
- Medical supplies to European countries due to COVID-19
- Hürkuş went for promotion and demonstration and transports to Bolivia
Conclusion
A400M is a very useful transport aircraft that is actively used by the Turkish Air Force. The operations that he has successfully faced several disadvantages such as high cost. When Turkey's transport fleet today taken into consideration; It seems that the aircraft such as the C-160 Transall has completed its life and the capacities and ranges of aircraft such as CN 235 are insufficient for many tasks. For these reasons, it is obvious that there is a need for a transportation aircraft that can be positioned both in the A400M or higher class and between CN-235 and A400M.
| Turkish Air Force Transport Aircraft Inventory | |||
| Aircraft Name | Number | types | Notes |
| C-130 T Hercules | 19 | 6 B + 13 E | Erciyes Modernization continues. 6 of them were taken from Saudi Arabia. |
| C 160 D Transall | 14 | 3 ISRs | 3 units of AselFLIR-300T are adapted for ISR tasks by integrating the air data terminal and antenna. |
| CN 235 100M | 41 | 24 St. + 3 Vips + 1 ASU + 3 MAK | 3 of them are planned to be used for ISR tasks by integrating AselFLIR-300T, air data terminal and antenna. |
| A400M | 9 + (1) | 10 pcs. | The last plane is expected to be delivered in 2022. |
| ISR: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance / Intelligence, Surveillance, and Discovery MAK: Combat Search and Rescue ASU: Open Skies Plane St .: Standard Note: A total of 61 CN-235 took delivery Turkey. According to Airbus data, 58 aircraft are active. CN-235s are used by the Air Force as well as the Coast Guard Command and the Naval Command. |
|||
Turkey's CN-235 can be positioned between the A400M transport aircraft had allegedly made by the Ukrainian Antonov-178 agreements for the supply for the needs.
on the Antonov-188 with regard to Turkey's strategic transportation capabilities agreed on joint production of the information that was given in 2018 by the Ukrainian authorities. However, this information was not confirmed by the Turkish authorities and there was no development regarding the project.
Turkey, Somalia and establish military bases in Qatar, where support for the legitimate government in Libya Given Turkey's strategic and tactical transport aircraft in both classes is standing in front of us overlook the fact that it needs. It cannot be said that it will fully meet this need with its existing A400M fleet. This is Turkey's need for more and can assess the A400M would be appropriate in minvalinde of making purchases in this direction.
Source: Defense Turk
Be the first to comment