The UK Royal Air Force A400M Atlas tactical airlift aircraft trained together with French counterparts. Credit: © 2022 Royal Air Force. UK Crown Copyright.

The UK Royal Air Force’s (RAF) A400M Atlas aircraft and its crew from RAF Brize Norton have carried out natural surface operation training in France.

The training was conducted during the aircraft’s deployment in multinational exercise Ouranos in Amberieu.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The natural surface operation training is a crucial capability of Air Mobility fleet that prepares the aircraft to operate in a wide range of locations without being restricted to the prepared runways.

It saw the aircraft practice landing on natural and unprepared surfaces, unlike the regular asphalt or tarmac.

The crew, including members of LXX and 30 Squadron from RAF Brize Norton, also demonstrated the capabilities of the RAF’s Atlas fleet during the exercise.

See Also:

Both LXX and 30 Squadron are the frontline flying units for the Atlas aircraft comprising of qualified instructors in Natural Surface Operations from XXIV Squadron onboard.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

As part of the exercise, the RAF crew together with the French counterparts from Armée de l’Air learned new skills and enhanced interoperability.

Detachment commander squadron leader Beard said: “Exercise Ouranos has been an excellent opportunity for the Atlas Force.

“It has fostered relationships with other nations and exercise and will only serve to improve interoperability with these countries in the future.

“The exchange of knowledge with regard to Natural Surface Operations with Atlas C1, and opportunity to use Tactical Landing Zone at Amberieu has been a crucial step in development of this capability for Atlas Force.”

The latest exercise comes after the Armée de l’Air Atlas aircraft conducted reciprocal training on Pembrey Sands in Wales.