France bids accelerated adieu to Transalls
The venerable C-160 Transall is capable of taking off and landing from short and unpaved runways. (Photo: Jean-Marc Tanguy)
The French Air and Space Force has ceased heavy maintenance on the last remaining aircraft in the C-160 Transall fleet in preparation for their withdrawal from early 2022, almost 60 years after the aircraft entered service.
France had intended to retire its Transalls in 2018 but delays in the Airbus A400M programme prompted an extension until 2021 for conventional missions, 2023 for special missions and 2025 for the Gabriel.
The Air and Space Force even wanted to retain its Transalls until 2028 — but in fact the exact opposite is happening with an accelerated withdrawal.
Seven Transalls remain in the
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA
The Ultraforce 380-HDc, launched at Farnborough International Airshow, builds on Teledyne FLIR’s successful Star SAFIRE family of systems and is aimed at both the military and security markets.
-
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.