Kazakhstan orders Airbus A400M
On 1 September 2021, Airbus Defence and Space announced that it has received an order from the Republic of Kazakhstan for two A400M strategic airlifters, with the first aircraft scheduled to be delivered in 2024.
The Kazakh order brings the number of the customers of the turboprop-powered A400M to nine and the the total number of A400Ms sold to 176, a figure that Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus, expects to increase in the near future. Airbus will also deliver a complete training and maintenance support package.
The A400M is not the first Airbus type in Kazakh service, the new order follows the supply of eight Airbus C295M (Bort No. 01-08 Red) medium transport aircraft for the Kazakhstan Air Defence and one C295W (registered 29501) in use by the Kazakhstan Border Service.
For the Kazakhstan Air Defence Forces, the acquisition of A400Ms will represent a significant boost in its long range airlift capability. Currently, Kazakhstan operates the already mentioned C295s, alongside an ageing fleet of Soviet Il-76TDs, An-12BKs, An-26s and An-72/74s, as well as a single Shaanxi Y-8F-200W Pegasus supplied by China. It is the world’s ninth-largest country in terms of area, albeit with one of the lowest population densities. The capability of the A400M to carry heavy loads to austere strips in distant communities will make it a valuable asset for enhanced mobility of the country’s armed forces, as well as for emergency relief operations.
Airbus Defence and Space have also signed a memorandum of understanding with KAI, a joint venture of Aviation Industry of Kazakhstan LLP, JSC NC Kazakhstan Engineering and Kazakh company Kamkor Management LLP in August 2017 to collaborate on maintenance and overhaul services. The contract parties already began implementing the active phase of an this agreement to establish a service center for C295 turboprops in Nur-sultan city which has been in operation since 2020.
Image by Airbus Defence and Space