Airbus has rolled out the first of two A400M airlifters to wear the colors of the Kazakh Air Defense Forces.
Kazakhstan, which placed its airlifter order in September 2021, becomes the second export customer of the A400M, after Malaysia, and the ninth country to purchase the aircraft.
The Kazakh Air Defense Forces already operate the Airbus C295 twin-turboprop airlifter, with nine of the type in service according to Aviation Week Network’s Military Fleet Discovery database, while the country’s border guard operates two further C295s.
Kazakhstan’s first A400M—registered MSN139—was rolled out from Airbus’ San Pablo plant near Seville, Spain, at the beginning of April, image data suggests. It is due to be delivered later this year.
The aircraft is the first A400M not to sport an inflight refueling probe.
The Central Asian country had been expressing an interest in the Airbus-developed airlifter for more than a decade prior to the order, as it looked to replace part of its Soviet-era air transport fleet.
The aircraft had been showcased in-country several times, including by the UK Royal Air Force, which flew one of the airlifters to capital city Astana in the summer of 2020, where it was demonstrated to senior Kazakh government officials.
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