German Armed Forces receives second Airbus A350-900
The handover ceremony was attended by the grandson of Germany's first Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, after whom the aircraft is named. (Photo: Lufthansa Technik)
Lufthansa Technik delivered a second Airbus A350-900 aircraft to the German Armed Forces on 16 November.
The aircraft will join the fleet of the Federal Ministry of Defence’s Special Air Mission Wing for long-haul political and parliamentary flight operations.
In total, the German government has ordered three A350s, the first of which entered service in 2020, while the final aircraft flew in September 2021 and is expected to enter service in 2023.
The three new aircraft will replace the German Armed Forces’ two Airbus A340-300s, which have both been in service for over 20 years.
Following the handover, the aircraft was transferred to its new base at Cologne and may have already formally entered into service.
More from Air Warfare
-
New US Army UH-60M Black Hawk order bridges uncertain path to MV-75 transition
The US$234 million award for 16 Sikorsky UH-60Ms preserves near-term production, but funding uncertainty and an undefinitised contract leave the US Army’s long-term Black Hawk requirements unresolved.
-
V-22 Osprey safety upgrade moves towards wider fleet installation under $35.5 million deal
Bell Boeing will supply 73 additional ODSSHI kits as NAVAIR prepares to introduce predictive drive-system monitoring across US and Japanese V-22 fleets.
-
AFA 2026: US Air Force examines uncrewed cargo aircraft for contested logistics
The US Air Force is evaluating demonstrators for uncrewed cargo missions as it considers logistics requirements across the Pacific and other contested environments.
-
Europe risks losing control of CUAS production capacity as manufacturers look abroad
European counter-drone developers are securing early orders in the Middle East while slow domestic acquisition processes threaten to redirect production capacity, expertise and investment away from Europe.