Transall C-160

The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is a German abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aérospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. The C-160 was developed during the late 1950s and 1960s with the initial goal of fulfilling the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for both the French and German Air Forces. On 25 February 1963, the first prototype had its maiden flight; the type entered service four years later. Production was divided between the German and French consortium members; early on, multiple production lines were operated, but this was reorganised to use a single assembly line in Toulouse during the late 1970s. In addition to the type's domestic sales, the C-160 achieved some success on the export market; such customers included the South African Air Force and Turkish Air Force as well as a number of civilian operators. The C-160 has had a lengthy service life, during which it has provided logistical support during numerous overseas operations, including the invasion of Cyprus, the South African Border War, and the Gulf War. Furthermore, it has adapted to fulfil several specialist roles, such as an aerial refueling tanker, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform. In French and German service, the C-160 has been replaced by the larger and newer Airbus A400M Atlas, and a small number of Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules during the early twenty-first century. Nevertheless, the C-160 remains in active service more than 60 years after the type's first flight in 1963.