The Transall C-160 will be retired from the Bundeswehr by the end of this year and the tasks will be taken over by the A400M from Lufttransportgeschwader 62 in Wunstorf.
Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link
Transall C-160 with its final painting (Picture source: Bundeswehr)
The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for the French and German Air Forces; export sales were also made to South Africa and to Turkey, as well as a small number to civilian operators. At first it was only intended for tactical transport. Later, however, the range of operations also included the role as a flying hospital.
The C-160 remains in service more than 50 years after the type's first flight in 1963. It has provided logistical support to overseas operations and has served in specialist roles such as an aerial refueling tanker, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform. It will be decommissioned at the end of 2021, to be replace by the Airbus A400M Atlas.
Around 400 liters of paint were used for the special painting (Picture source: Bundeswehr)
For the occasion, the German Air Force says goodbye to the Transall C-160 with a final special paint job. The last special paint scheme consists of different paint schemes that the aircraft has already worn in service with the Air Force. Starting with the silver prototype up to the white UNUnited Nations-Painting. The right side of the machine shows the flown missions in symbols. The left carries the bumblebee of the Lutfttransportgeschwader 63 “Mockery”.
With the decommissioning, the time of Air Transport Squadron 63 ends. After 60 years, the squadron dissolves and the air base continues to operate as an emergency airport .
Clearly noticeable, the Transall can be clearly seen with the special livery even at long distance during its last flights (Picture source: Bundeswehr)
