Belgien | Airbus Military A400M

LUFTVÅBNET

AFM 1/01 : Belgien annoncerede beslutning om at købe 7 Airbus A400M transportfly til luftvåbnet 16/11/2000.

AFM 5/15 : Det belgiske luftvåben vil modtage 7 Airbus Military A400M transportfly fra 2018 til afløsning af C-130H Hercules. Typen tilgår 15 Wing ved Melsbroek, den militære del af Brussels-Zaventem lufthavnen. Et ottende fly skal opereres på vegne af Luxembourg.

AFM 10/16 : Det belgiske luftkomponent vil modtage 7 Airbus Military A400M Atlas transportfly fra 2019 til afløsning af 11 Lockheed C-130H Hercules fly. De nye fly kan medføre 37 tons fragt, 120 sæder eller 66 bårer og er forsynet med omfattende selvforsvarssystemer. Et enkelt fly af samme type bestilt af Luxembourg vil operere i tæt samarbejde med Belgien.

AFM 7/19 : Det belgiske luftvåbens C-130H Hercules transportfly ved 15 Transport Wing, Bruxelles-Melsbroek lufthavn, vil blive afløst af nye A400M fly fra maj 2020. Det første af i alt 7 belgiske A400M fly [MSN 106] er nu under produktion sammen med et andet eksemplar [MSN 104] bestilt af Luxembourg. Dette fly vil fra 2021 blive opereret af Belgien ved Melsbroek på vegne af Luxembourg. Resten af de belgiske fly leveres frem til 2022.

AFM 11/19 : Airbus Defence and Security har afsluttet samlingen af de større komponenter til det første A400M Atlas transportfly [c/n 106] til Belgien ved Final Assembly Line (FAL) i Sevilla-San Pablo lufthavnen, Spanien 12/9/2019. Flyet vil tilgå det belgiske Luchtcomponent's 15 Air Transport Wing. Den endelige samling af flyet var blevet indledt tidligere i 2019 og eksemplaret forventes leveret til Bruxelles-Melsbroek maj 2020. Mangler fortsat at få installeret motorer og andre komponenter. I alt 7 fly af denne type er på bestilling til Belgien, som alle vil komme i tjeneste frem til 2022. Desuden vil Belgien operere et ottende fly på vegne af Luxembourg, som ikke har sit eget luftvåben. Dette fly [c/n 104] er ligeledes på produktionslinjen i Sevilla og vil også blive stationeret ved Melsbroek.

AFM 9/10 : Det første A400M transportfly [CT-02; A4M106] til det belgiske luftvåben foretog sin første flyvning ved Airbus Defence and Space's produktionsanlæg ved Sevilla/San Pablo lufthavnen, Spanien 30/7/2020. Kort tid efter skulle en delegation fra den belgiske luftkomponent begynde leveringsforberedelser. Vil tilgå 15 Air Transport Wing ved Bruxelles/Melsbroek. Det første A400M fly til Luxembourg [CT-01 (c/n 104; A4M104)] havde foretaget sin jomfruflyvning 14/4/2020. Dette fly vil blive opereret af det belgiske luftvåben på vegne af Luxembourg og stationeres ved Melsbroek sammen med de belgiske fly. Derfor har dette eksemplar fået et belgisk serienummer. Belgien har i alt 7 A400M fly på bestilling.

AFM 2/21 : Den belgiske luftkomponent fik leveret det første af i alt 7 Airbus A400M transportfly ved Sevilla, Spanien 22/12/2020. Flyet [CT-02 (c/n 106)] vil blive opereret som del af en to-nationers enhed med 8 fly, 7 stk. fra den belgiske luftkomponent samt 1 stk. fra forsvaret i Luxembourg. Forlod Spanien senere samme dag for at flyve til basen ved 15th Wing, Melsbroek. Endnu et A400M fly til Belgien vil blive leveret senere i 2021. Dermed har alle typens første kunder fået leveret eksemplarer. Airbus leverede som planlagt i alt 10 A400M fly i 2020, hvorefter 98 eksemplarer er i tjeneste.

AFM 11/21 : Det fjerde Airbus A400M Atlas transportfly [CT-04] til den binationale belgisk-luxembourgske Air Transport-enhed ankom til Bruxelles/Melsbroek 23/9/2021 efter leveringsflyvning fra fabrikken i Sevilla, Spanien.

SCW 11/11/21 : Det belgiske luftvåben har modtaget sit femte Airbus A400M transportfly. Flyet [CT-05 (c/n 116)] ankom til Melsbroek luftbasen 10/11/2021. I alt 8 Airbus A400M fly blev bestilt fra Airbus Defence and Space, som vil tilgå 15th Wing Air Transport. Det første fly [CT01], som tilhører de væbnede styrker i Luxembourg, blev leveret til 15th Wing ved Melsbroek 7/10/2020. Det første belgiske A400M fly [CT02] blev leveret 22/12/2020. Endnu 3 eksemplarer vil blive overdraget.

KeyAero 20/1/22 : Det første Airbus A400M Atlas taktiske transportfly til det belgiske luftkomponent ankom til Melsbroek Air Base, nær Bruxelles, 22/12/2020. Var det første af i alt 7 eksemplarer til 20 Squadron under 15th Air Transport Wing (ATW). Sammen med et enkelt fly [CT-01] ejet af Luxembourg, vil samtlige 8 fly blive opereret og vedligeholdt ved Melsbroek. 15th ATW råder over i alt 2 eskadriller – 20 Squadron og 21 Squadron – samt Transport Conversion Unit, som har til opgave at træne piloter, kabinepersonel samt loadmastere. Mens 20 Squadron har A400M Atlas taktiske transportfly, er 21 Squadron udrustet med 2 leasede Falcon 7X forretningsfly til VIP-transport. Efter leveringen af A400M, er luftvåbnets C-130H Hercules transoportfly blevet udfaset ultimo dec. 2021 efter næsten 50 års tjeneste. Samtidig med leveringen af nye fly, bliver infrastrukturen ved Melsbroek luftbasen opgradere i 3 faser. Første fase omfatter bygningen af et nyt A400M flyvesimulatorcenter og en stor hangar med plads til kontorer og reservedele. Hangaren får plads til 2 A400M fly samt 1 Airbus A330 MRTT (Multirole Tanker Transport) fly samtidigt til eftersyn og reparationer. Det første af 8 Airbus A400M Atlas tunge taktiske transportfly ankom til Melsbroek Air Base, Belgien 22/12/2020 fra producentens samlelinje ved Sevilla, Spanien. Frem til 9/12/2021 var i alt 5 af de 8 fly blevet leveret, mens hangaren sotd klar i sidste kvartal 2021. Flyvesimulatoren forventes at være operationsklar i sommeren 2022. Under den anden fase af moderniseringsprocessen vil en lang række bygninger blive fjernet for at gøre plads til en meget større forplads. Dette vil gøre det muligt at parkere flyene parallelt med vindretningen uden behov for pushback-assistance mellem hver flyvning. Desuden skal der bygges nye faciliteter til staben samt en ny terminal. Hele den nye infrastruktur skulle være klar i 2026. Under den tredje fase vil basen, som huser et museum og infromationscenter, oftere blive åbnet for offentligheden, bl.a. til rekrutteringsformål. 15th ATW har et personel svarende til omkring 1.000 fuldtidsstillinger, men i praksis kan kun 2/3 af stillingerne besættes. Desuden bliver der hyret teknikere fra Sabena Aerospace samt træningspersonel fra Airbus. Det begliske luftvåben havde bestilt 112 C-130H hercules fly i 1970, som blev leverte mellem juli 1972 og april 1973. Under hele typens tjeneste mistede 15th ATW kun 2 fly ved ulykker og modtog et trettende fly [CH-13] som erstatning marts 2009. Et fly [CH-06] styrtede ned ved Eindhoven Air Base, Holland i 1996 efter at have ramt en flok fugle. I alt 33 af de 41 ombordværende blev dræbt, inkl. 4 besætningsmedlemmer samt 30 medlemmer af et militærorkester fra den hollandske hær. Det andet fly [CH-02] blev ødelagt i 2006 under brand i en hangar ved Sabena Tecnics. Mellem dec. 2017 og dec. 2002 blev 5 Hercules udfaset. CH-13 blev trukket tilbage fra tjeneste april 2021 og overført til Beauvechain Air Base, hvor det vil blive bevaret som det eneste fly i inventaret. Den belgiske regering annoncerede salget af 8 fly juli 2021, inkl. motorer, propeller, reservedele og støtteudstyr på jorden. Fem af flyene var operationelle frem til slutningen af 2021, mens 3 fly vil blive brugt som reservedele. De nye ejere af flyene er Sabena Aerospace og Blue Aerospace, som har til hensigt at sælge dem videre.

. .. Joining forces In June 2001, Belgium and Luxembourg signed a bilateral agreement to jointly acquire seven A400Ms for Belgium and one for Luxembourg. With the formal delivery of the first Atlas in October 2020, the so-called Belgium-Luxembourg Bi-National Unit A400M (BNU A400M) began to take shape. Under the operational control of the European Air Transport Command (EATC) at Eindhoven, the BNU A400Ms will conduct missions on behalf of Belgium and Luxembourg. Under the co-operation between the two nations, Belgium operates and supports all aircraft, while Luxembourg contributes funding as well as six pilots and three loadmasters to 20 Squadron. Luxembourg has not operated its own aircraft since 1968. However, it has been contributing to NATO as a member of the Multinational MRTT Unit (MMU), operating the Airbus A330 MRTT, and has the NATO-operated Boeing E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) fleet registered to its flag. Seamless transition The person responsible for the transition from the C-130H to the A400M Atlas is Maj Nicholas Dhont, commanding officer of the Transport Conversion Unit (TCU). He has served as an active C-130 pilot since 2007 and has spent roughly seven years in the US, operating as an instructor on the Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II within the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base (AFB) in Georgia. Since June 2018, he has been in charge of the TCU, preparing for the arrival of the new aircraft. Speaking in 2021, he explained: “The TCU is home to the school house and the Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) team. We have a core team of three staff members for the school and five for the OT&E. In total, around 25 men and women are involved in the transition and training on both types until the end of 2021, when we stopped flying the C-130. The main objective of the TCU is to help keep the wing fully operational in this period, without any gaps in coverage between the two types.” The 15th ATW is responsible for the non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) task. This requires the unit to be ready at any time to fly Belgian citizens back from potential crisis areas around the world, in case of required evacuation (see panel). Planning during a pandemic Currently the 15th ATW operates five A400M airframes, the last of which arrived at Melsbroek in November 2021. The sixth aircraft was due to arrive in Belgium during the final months of 2021. The seventh aircraft is due to be handed over in 2022, followed by the eighth in 2023. The first six examples are so-called Batch 6 aircraft, while the last two airframes will be from Batch 7 – the most modern version of the A400M currently flying. The first was delivered five months late, due to the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic also caused delays in the type rating training of the crews, as the Airbus International Training Centre in Seville, Spain, was closed for a number of months. On top of this closure, the flight-simulator facilities were undergoing a six-month upgrade, which required crews to conduct training at Zaragoza Air Base in Spain; Base Aérienne 123 (BA 123, Air Base 123) in Orléans, France; and at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, UK. Despite the setback in the planning, the pandemic also turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Maj Dhont explained: “Due to the nature of the pandemic, we could focus our training on flying the line within Europe. It allowed the TCU to closely monitor students and offered the opportunity to maximise the training hours for the crews on the new aircraft. Crews could be trained [faster], compared to a situation where they fly regular missions and train on the side. We are capable of training crews within six months [while maintaining] the required safety levels.” Three of the current aircraft have been intensively used for crew training and in flying OT&E sorties. The aircraft have been seen all over Europe, practising approaches at different airports and bases and training the loadmasters. The loadmasters permanently have a truck, pallet system and tow bar on loan for training purposes. Maj Dhont continued: “We act according to the ‘crawl, walk, run’ principle, with a steep learning curve. We are a small air force and have to be adaptive in our programme, due to limited resources. In addition, we are the final country [of the programme’s initial partner nations] to start operating the aircraft, and have the possibility to learn from other operating nations.” Operational training The training of the Belgian crews starts with a two-month type rating, carried out in Seville at the Airbus International Training Centre. Belgium, Turkey and Malaysia train with Airbus, while Spain, France and Germany have their own type-rating facilities. Then, a two-week simulator course is carried out at RAF Brize Norton. This course helps students to bridge the gap between the basic type-rating course and the different aircraft models used in service. The Belgian Air Force flies the most modern aircraft available (Batch 6), which has, for example, a 3D terrain-following capability and a computerised air-drop system. The 15th ATW at Melsbroek will receive its own simulator in September 2022. After completing the simulator training, the crews return to Belgium to carry out a number of training requirements. These are ground training, differences training and three basic one-and-a-half-hour training sorties performing instrument flight rules (IFR) and visual flight rules (VFR) approaches. To become mission ready and operate as a co-pilot, the crews will fly an additional eight line-training missions. The official programme to become a ‘captain pilot’ still has to be determined, but four pilots have so far received 20-25 hours of extra training by Airbus instructor pilots. Belgium is the sole Atlas operator in which co-pilots are trained in both seats from the start. This enables them to progress quicker and start managing missions sooner, without having to do separate left-seat training. Even though it is a consequence of the limited number of crews available, it is a situation that may continue, as it is deemed to have worked well. The fully digitalised cockpit layout of the Atlas is equal on both sides and crews have access to the same systems. As a completely fly-by-wire aircraft, both pilots are able to concentrate on mission management. Maj Dhont said: “The transition from a three-person crew to a two-person crew requires a mindset change. As the flight engineer has left the deck, mission management becomes more important and crews have to learn to operate as one team. The aircraft is extremely easy to fly, allowing pilots to focus on dynamic mission changes. On the other hand, the information on board with the full glass cockpit is enormous. It takes time to learn to operate the aircraft.” Mission readiness The first milestone in the transition was the declaration of initial operational capability (IOC), after the arrival of the fourth aircraft (in September 2021), and the readiness of three logistic mission-ready crews. This declaration means that aircraft capacity will be permanently offered to the EATC at Eindhoven. It automatically reduces available capacity for the conversion training of the crews, which most likely will last longer than the current six months. The overall plan is that all former C-130 crews will be converted by the end of 2022. The end state will amount to 46 pilots. The next phase will be limited operational capability – an intermediate phase, due to the required NEO task (to be flown from January 2022). Crews currently receive limited tactical training, to be mission ready in time. In this limited phase, crews will be able to perform static line, low-level paradrops; low-level navigation; gravity extraction of loads and air-assault landings. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the crews were trained at both Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, for unpaved air-land missions, and at Pisa, Italy, for low-level flying training. Full operational capability (FOC) is planned for 2023 dependent upon a fully operational self-defence system (the aircraft will receive flares and a radar warning system) and the capability of flying the full tactical syllabus. This syllabus will additionally include container delivery system drops, para extraction of heavy equipment and night-vision goggles missions. International co-operation As the speed of this transition is remarkable, another factor worthy of note is the degree of external help. Airbus currently provides flying training assistance with a number of pilots. Once the simulator arrives this year, two instructors will provide the type-rating training and will support on a tactical level. Additionally, along with a British loadmaster, a British pilot from No XXIV Squadron at RAF Brize Norton is currently on exchange. She has been flying the A400M Atlas for more than six years and has extensive operational experience to bring to the team. In the last five years, the co-operation between the RAF and Belgian Air Force has been further developed with the exchange of a Belgian transport pilot to the UK. He will return with valuable knowledge and experience to the wing. With the upcoming phasing out of the C-130s in RAF service, it is expected that the tactical knowledge and skills at squadron-level in the UK’s A400M community will increase considerably. The Belgians could also further benefit from this, as the next exchange pilot is due to go to the UK soon. The bond with the French A400M community is also quite close, though, it’s mainly based on personal contacts. The exchange of information and tactics between A400M operators within NATO is embedded in the Airbus community. Belgium’s wish list Although the outlook is bright and the milestones ahead are clearly defined, there remains plenty to achieve under Project Geronimo. Tactical flying – more specifically in a threat environment – is next on the wish list. Maj Dhont has set his sights on participating in the next Transport Weapons Instructor Course (TWIC) at Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands in 2023. Both Col Vandenbussche and Maj Dhont are very proud of the steps taken by their teams so far. Col Vandenbussche said: “We have made tremendous progress in the last nine months and I am very proud of the entire team. As a relatively small air force, I firmly believe in the youth of our organisation. Our new fleet offers incredible opportunities. “Empowering young people to stand and speak up, while we seniors remain silent and listen, is our challenge. Let them feel the freedom to do their job on this machine. After all, we are not implementing a C-130+ platform but a state-of-the-art A400M.” “The aircraft is extremely easy to fly, allowing pilots to focus on dynamic mission changes. On the other hand, the information on board with the full glass cockpit is enormous”

AFM 2/22 : Det femte A400M transportfly er blevet leveret til det belgiske luftvåben. Flyet [CT-05 (c/n 116)] blev overført fra Airbus' samlelinje ved Sevilla, Spanien til 15 Wing ved Melsbroek Air Base, Belgien 10/11/2021. Belgien har bestilt i alt 7 fly af denne type.

AFM 3/22 : Det sjette A400M transportfly [CT-06] til det belgiske luftvåben blev leveret til 15 Transport Wing ved Bruxelles-Melsbroek 14/1/2022 efter leveringsflyvning fra samlelinjen ved Sevilla-San Pablo Airport, Spanien. Dermed mangler der kun at blive leveret et fly af denne type til Belgien.

4Avia 16/1/24 : Det belgiske luftvåben (Belgien Air Component) modtog sit sidste Airbus A440M Atlas transportfly 12/1/2024. Flyet [CT-08] blev overført fra producentens faciliteter ved Sevilla, Spanien. 15 Wing ved Bruxelles-Melsbroek råder nu over 8 Atlas fly, inkl. 1 eksemplar fra Luxembourg. Det første fly var blevet leveret okt. 2020, mens flåden opnåede foreløbig operationel status (IOC/Initial Operating Capability) ultimo 2021 og begrænset operationel status (LOC/Limited Operating Capability) medio 2022. Forventes at opnå fuld operationel status (FOC/Full Operating Capability) primo 2025.