The next-generation transport aircraft Airbus A400M has reached a new decisive milestone with the certification of the Automatic Low Level Flight capacity, offering a unique capacity in its class for a military transport aircraft.
The certification campaign, carried out in April over the Pyrenees and central France, involved operations at only 500 feet, including transitions from low-altitude flight and other operations such as airborne.
This first certification phase concerns operations with weather conditions for visual flights (Visual Meteorological Conditions). There will also be a second phase which will include operations with meteorological conditions for Instrumental Meteorological Conditions to be certified in the second quarter of 2021.
The Automatic Low Level Flights capability, inherent in the world of combat aircraft, and unique ability for a military transport aircraft, improves terrain masking - i.e. the ability to exploit irregularities in the terrain to avoid being identified by radar 400M survivability, making the aircraft less detectable in hostile areas and less susceptible to threats when performing key military operations such as air launch, in-flight refueling, logistics or other specific special operations.
