A second heavy military transport aircraft, the Airbus A400M Atlas, has joined Kazakhstan's aviation fleet, arriving from Spain in Almaty for the republic's Air Defense Forces, infohub.kz reports.
According to the Defense Ministry's press service, the new aircraft will expand the capabilities of Kazakhstan's military transport aviation. It is planned to be used not only for defense tasks.
"In addition to carrying out defense-related tasks, A400M aircraft can be deployed to respond to emergencies, evacuate populations and deliver humanitarian aid," the ministry said in a statement.
Another area of use for military transport aviation will be supporting the participation of Kazakh service members in international peacekeeping missions. Having aircraft of this class expands the ability to independently deploy the national peacekeeping contingent.
"Kazakh crews and engineering and technical personnel have been trained to operate the new aircraft, having completed theoretical and practical instruction at the Airbus training center in Seville (Spain) and mastered the specifics of piloting, operating and maintaining the aircraft," the Defense Ministry added.
The Airbus A400M military transport aircraft is in service with ten countries: Kazakhstan, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg.
"It combines the ability to carry heavy equipment over long distances with the capacity to land on short unpaved runways, expanding the capabilities of the Armed Forces," the ministry noted.