
On Sunday, 29th December 2013 the French air force carried out the first operational mission of an A400M Atlas tactical transport aircraft between Orléans-Bricy air base in France and Bamako airport, in Mali.
After taking off at 10:00 EST from its base, the A400M flew for 6 hours and 40 minutes carrying a load of 22 metric tonnes of equipment intended for French forces deployed in Central Africa on Operation Serval.
This first operational mission demonstrates the aircraft’s capabilities, and is a major step towards its full operational capability, which it is expected to achieve by the end of 2014.
AEF Solutions supply an EMI/EMP Arinc 600 connector as part of the A400M Defensive Aids Equipment.