Airbus A400M – what is it?

A photograph of an Airbus A400M in action appears on the fence of the Luxembourg Garden in Paris in a photography exhibition called Industry View from the Sky. The exhibition is on display from 14 March to 14 July 2020.

The signage underneath the photograph, called ‘An Airbus in Action’ provides the following information: A400M Airbus is dropping decoys. This European aircraft, designed by military Airbus, is intended for military transport. It entered service in 2013.

The Airbus A400M ‘Atlas’ is a modern military defense aircraft. It can land in small, grassed, sand, and unprepared airstrips and can act as a frontline tanker for re-fuelling missions.

So, the photograph is not of fireworks coming from the aircraft, but decoy flares.

The flares are sometimes called Angel Flares. The decoy flares are used to counter infra-red homing heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles or air-to-air-missiles. In other words, when a missile is coming towards the aircraft, the aircraft sends out flares to distract the incoming missile, so that the missile does not strike the aircraft. Therefore, the flares are a defense mechanism.

When the flares are deployed, infra-red energy is released, as well as smoke and flames. They are called pyrotechnic flares because they contain magnesium or other hot-burning metal. That’s why they look like pyrotechnic fireworks.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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