Indonesia’s First A400M Enters Final Assembly Line Ahead of 2025 Delivery
The Indonesian Air Force is one step closer to welcoming its first A400M tactical transport aircraft. In an X post, Airbus confirmed that the aircraft, production number MSN148, has entered the Final Assembly Line [FAL] at its San Pablo plant in Seville, Spain.
“During this phase of assembly, key production milestones have been completed, including the attachment of the Horizontal Tail Plane (HTP) to the Vertical Tail Plane (VTP) and the integration of the wings to the fuselage,” the European aircraft manufacturing company said.
The next stages will involve the installation of the power plant, software integration, and a series of functional tests leading up to the first engine run. If all these procedures proceed without any hitches, the first aircraft is expected to be delivered to Indonesia by the end of 2025. The arrival of the A400Ms will significantly increase the Indonesian Air Force’s operational flexibility, supporting strategic and tactical missions, humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation, and aerial refueling.
In 2021, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense became the third exporter and tenth operator of the Airbus A400M aircraft type when it struck a deal for two of the aircraft in a multipurpose tanker and transport configuration. Kazakhstan and Malaysia are export clientsi, and Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are among the participating nations in the A400M program.
The agreement covers a complete maintenance and training support package and aims to support the Indonesian Air Force’s operational capabilities in the long term. A Letter of Intent was also signed for the future acquisition of four additional A400M aircraft.
“The A400M is a truly multi-role platform and will greatly enhance the Indonesian Air Force’s tactical air-to-air capabilities. This aircraft will play a key role in other key missions including paratrooping and heavy cargo transportation. We are also looking at additional A400M acquisition in the near term, with future A400M developments such as firefighting an important capability we are exploring jointly with Airbus. The A400M will become a national asset and the cornerstone for Human Assistance and Disaster Response missions, beyond its tactical and air-to-air capabilities,” said Prabowo Subianto, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia.