Performance
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A400M has been designed to provide high strategic mission efficiency whilst meeting the demands of tactical operations.
Speed / Altitude Capability
The A400M is an economical turboprop aircraft with a cruise speed almost as fast as turbofan powered transports. Its advanced aerodynamic design, coupled with four new generation, high performance turboprop engines and 8-bladed propellers provide cruising speeds up to Mach 0.72 at 37 000 ft.
Field Performance
For tactical missions, good field performance is a crucial factor for mission success.
The A400M provides excellent soft field capabilities and requires only a short runway length, both for take-off and landing. In a combat situation where it would land on a semi-prepared forward operating strip and unload all its cargo, the A400M would require less than 1000 m of usable runway.
The aircraft is capable of operating into unprepared landing strips under adverse meteorological conditions completely independent of ground support. With its 6-wheel main gear and high flotation characteristics, the A400M will be able to land on soft grass fields over low plasticity clay, a performance which far exceeds that of any similar aircraft.
Operations from remote sites, with limited or no ground facilities and limited space for manoeuvre are severe constraints for a tactical airlifter. The A400M is designed from the outset to work in these conditions.
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A turning radius of 30 m enables the A400M to be operated from simple air bases with limited aprons and taxiways;
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The A400M is capable of reversing up, under its own power, a 2% slope on hard surfaces and a 1% slope on soft surfaces at its tactical MTW in hot and high conditions.
Aerial Delivery
As a tactical airlifter, the A400M is capable of air dropping paratroops and equipment via parachute or gravity extraction. A single load up to 16 tonnes, or multiple loads up to 25 tonnes of total weight; 116 paratroops plus a wedge load of 6 tonnes.
The A400M can drop simultaneously paratroops and cargo. It can performs as well Very Low Level Extraction (VLLE – 15 ft above ground) of a single load up to 6.35 tonnes, or 3 individual loads, each up to 6.35 tonnes.
Aerial delivery by gravity extraction of a single load up to 4 tonnes, or multiple loads up to 20 tonnes of total weight can be performed by a nose-up attitude or by being manually dispatched.
Air-to-Air Refuelling
The A400M is also quickly convertible into a tactical tanker. The flight envelope of the A400M allows it to refuel a wide range of aircraft and helicopters, at the altitudes appropriate to their missions.
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A two-point trailing drogue system can be installed within two hours by fitting two standard air-to-air refuelling pods (optional) to the multi-role attachment points on the wings. Each pod provides a fuel flow of up to 1200 kg/min.
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A centre-line pallet-mounted hose drum unit can be fitted in the rear cargo bay. It provides a fuel flow of 1800 kg/min.
To enhance the fuel volume, up to two optional cargo bay fuel tanks (CBT) can also be installed, providing up to 12 tonnes of extra capacity. These additional tanks connect directly to the aircraft's fuel system and thus become part of the A400M's computer-controlled centralised fuel management system.
Designed from the outset to be a dual-role air transport and air-to-air refuelling aircraft, the versatile A400M offers air commanders and planners new levels of flexibility in the delivery of air power. Its basic fuel capacity of 47.7 tonnes or up to 58 tonnes with two optional Cargo Bay Tanks fitted, coupled with its own low fuel-burn rate, makes it an efficient aerial tanker and a cost-effective way for air forces to acquire an aerial refuelling capability.
