Transall C-160

Transall C-160
Country	France-Germany
Role	Transport aircraft
First flight	25 February 1963
Built	214

The Transall C-160 (often C.160 or simply Transall) is a military transport aircraft, designed and produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. Transall is an abbreviation of the specially formed consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern cargo 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.

Source: Transall C-160 on Wikipedia

C-160R Transall
Photographer	Meindert de Vreeze
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	53

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The European Workhorse

The Transall C-160 (Transport Allianz) was born from a unique post-war collaboration between France and West Germany. Designed specifically to replace the Nord Noratlas, it was built to operate from short, semi-prepared strips in harsh environments—from the Saharan sands to the Alpine snow. While it shares a similar silhouette to the American C-130 Hercules, the Transall is a twin-engine design optimized for European and African logistical requirements, known for its incredible stability at low speeds and its rugged, “unbreakable” landing gear.

Attribute	Technical Specification (C-160NG)
Role	Tactical Transport / Multi-role Support
Crew	3 (Two Pilots and one Flight Engineer)
First Flight	February 25, 1963
Powerplant	2 × Rolls-Royce Tyne Mk.22 turboprops
Horsepower	6,100 shp (4,549 kW) per engine
Maximum Speed	320 mph (513 km/h)
Max Payload	35,275 lbs (16,000 kg)
Service Ceiling	27,000 feet (8,230 m)

Tactical Design & Versatility

High-Flotation Landing Gear: The C-160’s landing gear is a marvel of engineering, featuring large, low-pressure tires that retract into prominent “sponsons” on the side of the fuselage. This allows the plane to land on soft mud or deep sand without sinking.
The “Gabriel” & “Astout” Variants: France developed highly specialized versions, including the C-160G Gabriel for electronic intelligence (ELINT) and the C-160H Astarté, which served as a flying communications relay for the French nuclear submarine fleet.
Rolls-Royce Tyne Engines: The massive 18-foot (5.5m) four-bladed propellers provide immense low-speed thrust, giving the Transall impressive STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) performance, often outperforming the C-130 on very short strips.
Air-to-Air Refueling: The second-generation C-160NG (Nouvelle Génération) introduced a prominent refueling probe above the cockpit and the ability to act as a tanker themselves, extending the reach of French operations in Africa.

A Legacy of Service

African Operations: The Transall was the backbone of French operations in Africa (Operation Serval and Barkhane) for decades, earning the nickname “The Angel” from troops on the ground for its reliability in delivering supplies and evacuating the wounded.
Humanitarian Hero: During the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia, C-160s from Germany and France flew thousands of “low-level” drops of food and supplies into remote villages where no runways existed.
The Retirement: After nearly 60 years of service, the C-160 was officially retired by the Luftwaffe in 2021 and the French Air Force in 2022, replaced by the much larger Airbus A400M.
The “Retro” Farewell: For its retirement, the German Luftwaffe painted a C-160 (50+40) in a stunning “Retro-Brummel” scheme, featuring the various liveries the aircraft wore throughout its history.