The German Air Force has unveiled a special paint scheme on one of its C-160 Transall transport aircraft that will fly a farewell sortie to mark the end of service for the aircraft that entered service in 1968.
Developed by France and Germany for their air forces in the 1960s and later also sold to South Africa and to Turkey, the Transall fleet spent 53 years in service with the German Air Force.
The aircraft are now being phased out of service as Germany takes delivery of Airbus A400M.
To give the aircraft a proper send off, the service’s Lufttransportgeschwader 63 (LTG 63) squadron applied 400 liters of paint to the aircraft with registration number 50+40 that will perform a final flight tour later this year.
The new paint scheme includes various shades of gray and the squadron’s mascot – a bumblebee. Inscriptions “Goodbye Tour” and “Lufttransportgeschwader 63” are also featured in the livery.
Germany ordered over 100 Transall aircraft which, in addition to a transport role, served as aerial refueling tankers, electronic intelligence gathering, and communications platforms over the years.
They are are being replaced by 53 A400M military transport aircraft developed under a multi-national program under the management of the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).
