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Dubai Airshow 2025: Airbus reveals progress on drone mothership plans for A400M

18th November 2025 - 15:34 GMT | by Lucy Powell in Dubai, UAE

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The A400M is currently operated by 10 countries worldwide, including Germany. (Photo: Airbus)

Airbus is working to expand the mission capabilities of its A400M aircraft, including a 40t payload increase, to boost Europe’s defence capabilities.

Airbus executives have touted the future capabilities and growing mission portfolio of the A400M as the company hopes to capture further A400M orders and push the potential of the aircraft for current and future customers.

Speaking to media at the Dubai Airshow, Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defence and Space, noted the A400M platform’s future capability plans, including ongoing proposals to modify it to serve as a drone mothership.

At Paris Airshow in 2025, Airbus announced it was looking into developments for its A400M platform to serve this future capability, while Dumont confirmed that the company was currently “pre-designing

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