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TEN YEARS AGO, Airbus Military began working on a new transport aircraft that would take Europe into the next century of aerial warfare.
Backed by seven European members of NATO: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, the aircraft programme suffered years of delays and cost €20 billion ($26.1 billion).
Now, the A400M Atlas is almost here.
Scheduled for first delivery to the French army in time for July 14 Bastille Day celebrations, the turboprop plane is designed to be capable of everything its new owners need, from midair refuelling to paratrooper drop-offs to landings on short and unpaved runways.
It can even carry more than 80,000 pounds of cargo, while remaining remarkably agile in the air.
And according to Airbus parent company EADS, even the Americans are interested.
Images here from Airbus show the A400M Atlas:
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