“A real Swiss army knife for the armed forces”: France launches the modernization of the Airbus A400M

Airbus Defence and Space indicated this Tuesday, June 16, 2026 that it had signed a contract with the French Army and the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA). The goal… Develop new capabilities pour the A400Mthe giant military transport aircraft from the European manufacturer, whose world headquarters is in Toulouse.

Making the A400M “a tactical in-flight command tool”

According to the aeronautical group, these improvements, presented under the name of ‘parallel mission system’ (PMS), aim to provide the French A400M with capacités multimissions in the areas of informationof the surveillance and the reconnaissance. « The A400M is a real Swiss army knife for the armed forces who use it…”, wants to believe Jean-Brice DumontExecutive Vice President Air Power at Airbus D&S. “It has the capabilities and potential necessary to continue to expand the scope of its missions.”

Thanks to this development, the Air and Space Force is equipped with a device capable of becoming a tactical command and control (C2) tool in flight.

A new onboard mission system

More specifically, developments in the mission management system (PMS) focus on the integration of a new onboard mission systemas well as on the installation of knowledge consoles of the tactical situation in the hold, in order to monitor various sensors and coordinate missions.

“ This new mission system is designed to integrate additional sensors and communications systems, as well as to manage drones and missiles lancés from the hold of the device…

Ultimately, the crew will be able to coordinate missions involving ground troops, helicopters – notably the Tiger and the Caracal H225M – and fighter planes in a collaborative combat mode.

Flight tests from 2028

The new equipment will be installed on board the first French A400M in 2027 and tested in vol in 2028, specified the aircraft manufacturer, which ensures “ that a a certain number of devices of the Air and Space Force fleet will then be modernisés to accommodate a PMS kit ».

Long-range jamming, mid-air drop…

Airbus Defense and Space has also indicated that it is working on other key functions for the A400M, such as “Long-range jamminga supporting platform function for the flight release of drones and missilesan increase in the carrying capacity to 40 tonnes and, finally, the capacity of firefighting… All these developments will expand the capabilities and missions of the A400M, and thus “meet the current and future needs of armed forces on a global scale”.

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