First Airbus A400M for Germany leaves the paintshop

The first Airbus A400M new generation airlifter for the German Air Force has now been painted in its new colours at the Airbus Defence and Space facility in Seville, Spain. The dark, matte tone reduces the visibility of aircraft at altitude, as well as being radar-absorbent to make it harder to detect by radar. The craftsmen in Seville used around 500kg of paint – enough to paint about 100 family cars. The paint used is an environmentally friendly chromate-free coating with high solid content and low volatility leading to reduced emissions.