Malaysia Begins A400M Simulator Training In Germany

ROYAL Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Airbus A400M pilots have begun undergoing simulator training in the German Air Force’s Wunstorf Air Base, home of the 62nd Air Transport Wing and its cutting edge Full Flight Simulator (FFS).

With the use of FFS systems, as much as 95% of the pilot’s training can be done in the simulator, ultimately saving costs, cutting down emissions as well as vital flight hours. The 62nd Air Transport Wing has been a certified Appoved Training Organisation (ATO) for the A400M since 2017, supplying training which fulfil both military and civilian standards.

Pilots from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States have already been trained there, making Malaysia the first non-NATO partner to benefit from this expertise. With Malaysia’s participation, this program expands international cooperation into the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing the German Armed Forces’ defence diplomacy and partnerships in the region.

Malaysia was the first export customer of the A400M marking the tenth year of operating its fleet of four A400Ms, responsible for countless humanitarian and logistics operations over the years. Last August, two RMAF A400Ms airlifted 127 Palestinian patients and relatives from Egypt’s Al Maza Air Base to Subang Air Base.

Indonesia is set to receive its first A400M ordered in 2021 before the end of 2025, ordering 2 A400Ms in multirole tanker and transport configuration to boost the Indonesian Air Force’s operational flexibility, supporting strategic and tactical missions, humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation, and aerial refuelling. Indonesia also signed a letter of intent for potentially four more A400Ms, to be the second operator of the A400M in Southeast Asia.

The A400M has been delivered to nine countries to date, most recently to Kazakhstan and has accumulated more than 200,000 flight hours and carrying out various missions including humanitarian assistance.–shp/adj/dl (Pix:BUNDESWEHR)