An Airbus A400-M Atlas transport plane based at the Melsbroek military airport in Flemish Brabant was damaged by a ground vehicle, the Ministry of Defence admitted on Tuesday without providing further details, the Belga News Agency reports.
“A powered lifting platform snagged an A400-M landing gear fairing,” the press service of the Ministry of Defence admitted in a brief statement. “An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.” The aircraft cost around $141 million per unit.
Military officials suggest that there are several potential leads, including human error or defective equipment. The Ministry of Defence is currently carrying out a damage assessment and repairs are underway in collaboration with companies in the defence sector.
“At this stage, we are unable to provide further details on the repair timeframe,” the ministry concluded, without specifying when the incident occurred or to which country the aircraft belonged.
Melsbroek airport currently hosts seven A400-Ms, six belonging to Belgium and one to Luxembourg’s 20th squadron, also called the “Belgium-Luxembourg Binational Air transport Unit.” An eight, and final, aircraft is expected to arrive by the end of the year.
The damaged aircraft will likely be returned to its manufacturer, Airbus, and would be likely out of commission until July or August. This information could not be confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.
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Belgium and Luxembourg’s A400-M aircraft were used in 2021 to help evacuate Belgian and allied soldiers and citizens stranded in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country.
At the end of 2021, Belgium phased out the C-130H aircraft in its service, following nearly 50 years of use among the armed forces.
