The Airbus A400M is a four-engine military transport aircraft. France's planned combat underwater vehicle demonstrator, signed on 3 November 2026, must fit inside one, so the French Navy could fly it to a distant theatre.

Airbus lists a maximum payload of 37 tonnes, four Europrop TP400 turboprop engines and 178 orders from 10 nations. Its roles include military transport, humanitarian aid and medical evacuation.

Air transport sets a hard size limit on any uncrewed vehicle meant to deploy quickly, which is why the demonstrator's size is quoted against the aircraft's hold.

Common Questions

What is the Airbus A400M?

The A400M is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Airbus, used for airlift, humanitarian aid and medical evacuation.Source: https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/defence/military-aircraft/a400m

How much can an A400M carry?

Airbus lists a maximum payload of 37 tonnes and plans to raise the certified maximum to 40 tonnes.Source: https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/defence/military-aircraft/a400m

Why must France's underwater combat drone fit in an A400M?

Fitting the A400M means the French Navy could fly the vehicle to a distant theatre rather than sail it there.Source: https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2026/2026/11/naval-group-to-build-ucuv-underwater-combat-drone-demonstrator-for-french-navy

Source Material

A400M

How the World Sees Them

Elbit Systems

a complete multi-domain autonomous ecosystem

Naval Group and the DGA

10-day increments without human intervention

Australian Department of Defence

Those Ghost Sharks now have teeth

UK Ministry of Defence

The UK is all in on AUKUS

DNV and Fassmer

becoming one of the key pillars in defence

UK Defence Intelligence and Kraken

almost certainly marks the first time

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 8 November 2026. Editorial standards.