The aircraft, “Grizzly 4”, one of the five development aircraft, arrived at the Halim Airbase, Jakarta, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The visit is part of the first Asia Pacific Tour the A400M is making, visiting Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, then Chiang Mai and finally Bangkok, before returning to Europe.
From Halim Airbase it will make two local flights with various Government and Air Force guests and it will be on static display for other Government and Air Force guests who will be visiting the aircraft.
The A400M is an all new military airlifter designed to meet the needs of the world’s Armed Forces in the 21st Century. Thanks to its most advanced technologies, it is able to fly higher, faster and further, while retaining high maneuverability, low speed, and short, soft and rough airfield capabilities.
The A400M combines both tactical and strategic/logistic missions, while being also able to be used as a tanker plane. With its cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize equipment needed today for both military and humanitarian disaster relief missions, it can bring this material quickly and directly to where it is most needed.
Conceived to be highly reliable, dependable, and with a great survivability, the multipurpose A400M can do the job of three of today’s different aircraft models in a single one. This means smaller fleets and less investment from the operator. Able to do more with less, the A400M is the most cost efficient and versatile airlifter ever conceived and absolutely unique in its capabilities.
Photo: General Tan Sri Rodzali Daud, Chief of Royal Malaysia Air Force
