The German Air Force today took delivery of its first Airbus A350. The aircraft was delivered by Lufthansa Technik, who had been installing its VIP configuration interior. However, Germany has become the first nation to operate a governmental Airbus A350.
The aircraft was delivered on August 20 and will be commissioned into the German Air Force this fall.
Delivered by Airbus under a contract from 2019, the aircraft will bear the military registration 10+03. The other two units, with military registrations 10+01 and 10+02, are scheduled for delivery in 2022.
Germany received the aircraft after it underwent a cabin conversion at Lufthansa Technik AG, where it received a special transitional cabin for the transport of representatives of the Federal government and their accompanying delegations.
An event was held in Hamburg to mark the handing over of the first Airbus A350 to the German Bundeswehr in early hours of Thursday. The aircraft, registered as 10+03, will be used to ferry German politicians such as Angela Merkel around the world.
The transitional cabin is tailored to the specific requirements of the customer. It will be equipped with office and conference areas, adjoined to a multifunctional lounge area. The rest of the cabin space will be available to the accompanying delegations.
Only after the sister aircraft 10+01 and 10+02, which are currently still under construction, receive a fully featured VIP cabin from Lufthansa Technik next year, the transitional cabin in 10+03 will also be exchanged for one.
According to Airbus, the A350 XWB is the first Airbus aircraft to feature a carbonfiber fuselage and wings, which are immune to fatigue and corrosion, as well as saving weight.
The ACJ350-900 XWB can fly 25 passengers 11,100 nm/20,550 km or more than 22 hours in its ultra-long range version.
Source: defbrief.com