In late January and early March, the French Air and Space Force, with support from Canada and Denmark, conducted critical Arctic tests. Pilots and crews trained in extreme conditions, facing -30 to -40°C, gaining a better understanding of operations on frozen runways in remote locations.
The French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, AAE) tested its A400M Atlas cargo aircraft for operations on icy runways in the northern Polar regions. During the tests, the aircraft operated from remote airports in Canada and Greenland in late January and in March, respectively, revealed the service and Denmark’s Defence Command (Forsvaret).
In both the regions, the AAE’s Centre d’Expertise Aérienne Militaire – Air Warfare Center (CEAM) – and its Tactical Airlift Mark Team (EMATT) were involved. The trial flights provided valuable data to the crews on new piloting, maintenance and logistical procedures for expanding the A400M Atlas’ capabilities and operate in extreme cold and icy runways – an area the French had no prior experience with.
With the help of the Canadians and the Danes, the AAE learnt the behaviour of various aircraft components, like gaskets, hydraulics and batteries, in minus 30-40° C temperatures. Obviously, this also provided hand-on experience to better understand the characteristics of runways in those environments.
The effort was dictated by both technical and geopolitical goals – broadening the capability spectrum of the A400M, serving as backup resupply to remote Danish bases in Greenland, and acquiring capabilities to fly missions to Antarctica. Images released by both the AAE and Denmark’s Defence Command, showing the A400M in the ice-covered bases, do not however identify those locations.
L’#A400M en conditions extrêmes ❄️
Après une 1ère phase d’expérimentation menée au 🇨🇦, l’A400M prend la direction de l’arc polaire.
🎯 Posés sur pistes de neige compactée, avec le 25e RGA
🎯 Transport des commandos du groupe militaire de haute montagne pour l’exercice #Uppick25 pic.twitter.com/7ndOBHt8xw
— Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (@Armee_de_lair) March 10, 2025
Flights in Canada
The AAE said that the A400M trials in Canada took place from Jan. 13 to Jan. 30, 2025. The CEAM’s EMATT flew an A400M, with crews from the 25th Air Engineer Regiment (25th RGA), first to the CFB Trenton, near Ottawa, which hosts the RCAF’s (Royal Canadian Air Force’s) 8th Wing. Later, “the French crew headed north to land on rough terrain,” further describing it as “gravel terrain, frozen and covered in snow.”
The AAE press release quoted the pilot-in-command, Lt. Col. François-Xavier, who said the test campaign in Canada stemmed from “an expression of need issued by the Capability Development Office” of the AAE’s General Staff (EMAAE), with the goal “to develop the capabilities of the A400M Atlas, particularly in terms of landing on basic terrain, in extreme cold.”
According to the release, the crews “spoke with the technicians and administrators of the civilian airports hosting [the AAE’s A400M] and were able to understand the equipment needed for runway maintenance. In France, we have no experience maintaining rough runways in cold weather,” explained François-Xavier.
The AAE was “able to benefit from the expertise of [its] allies,” saying “their advice was invaluable.” In fact, the service mentioned their “Canadian counterparts are used to working in these conditions” as, “in the middle of winter, approximately 90% of the territory is frozen.”
The Canadians, who routinely operate their C-17 Globemasters here, provided advice so that the French could be “sure that [they] didn’t forget anything in [their] preparation.” For instance, the AAE learnt that it “must ensure that the aircraft is warmed up before the flight, particularly in order to preserve the onboard electronics.”
“We must also pay particular attention to all the liquids on board, particularly to avoid damaging the pipes,” François-Xavier added. Additionally, after heading north to land in even colder atmospheres, the 25th RGA learnt to “assess the runways” and maintain them in cold weather, as stated earlier.
Surprisingly, François-Xavier noted that from a technical standpoint, the aircraft performed “quite well,” except for a “few minor electronic glitches during start-up.” “The aircraft’s performance is quite good in cold weather, and the rigidity of the terrain, due to the negative temperatures, prevents any risk of getting stuck on rough, icy terrain,” he said.
Moreover, the A400M’s “grip was greater than expected,” belying “fears” the crew had about “the risk of skidding and loss of control during taxiing, due to the presence of snow and ice on the ground,” or the “greater stopping margin than usual” they planned upon landing. “This [was] mainly due to the Canadians maintaining the icy runways,” François-Xavier said.
The AAE release then revealed the next mission to Greenland, following the “snow-covered and frozen gravel runways” in Canada, which “were the first step of the program.” By “next winter” the AAE’s “goal is to land on ice runways, such as those serving several international scientific research stations in Antarctica.” The final goal, says the AAE’s release, is to “reach the aircraft’s real limits,” in order to “broaden the aircraft’s capability spectrum for certain operations, particularly high-intensity ones,” and be able “to respond to potential operational emergencies.”
Landings in Greenland
In early Mar. 2025, the AAE A400M conducted trials from Greenland’s Station Nord and Mestersvig, according to the Forsvaret, as the French had revealed that to be their next destination in the release about the tests from Canada. The AAE, however, has not released any statement about this leg of the A400M’s arctic capability expansion.
The Forsvaret noted that, while the AAE “has experience operating in impassable terrain” with their A400M, it is not the same as the RDAF’s (Royal Danish Air Force) experience on “runways built of prepared ice and snow” they use in Greenland with their C-130J Hercules.
Det franske flyvevåben har trænet landing på isbaner i Grønland. Besætningen på en Airbus A400M landede efter grundig forberedelse i sidste uge på Station Nord i Grønland. Formålet var at certificere flytypen til landing på isbaner. Læs mere: https://t.co/yaqXKQe22K #dkforsvar
— Forsvaret (@forsvaretdk) March 13, 2025
The AAE’s A400M, with a crew from the CEAM, therefore landed at the Station Nord on Mar. 4 and made a total of five flights to and from Mestersvig with “varying amounts of cargo.” The statement mentioned that “this certified the A400M for this use” and served a double goal, as “the flights also supported the resupply of Arctic Command stations in Northeast Greenland.” The trial flights lasted until Mar. 9.
The release quoted a C-130J pilot, Major BOF, from the RDAF’s Air Transport Wing at Aalborg AFS (Air Force Station), who observed that the French have a “lot of experience on dirt strips” but not “ice rinks.” While the “the discipline is basically the same whether you land on sand or ice,” BOF cautioned that “there are some special factors to consider when operating on a landing site in minus 30 or even minus 40 degrees Celsius,” adding that this is valid “especially in relation to when you have to take off again.”
“The equipment quickly gets cold when it’s on the ground. Gaskets become porous, hydraulic leaks can occur, and batteries don’t do well in the cold either, so it’s important to put some heaters on as soon as you land,” says BOF. The “certification” in Greenland saw the AAE gradually flying the A400M with progressively heavier loads each flight.
Denmark’s Arctic Command chief Major General Søren Andersen appreciated the AAE “recognizing” the Danes’ “special competencies” and that the collaboration “can in the long term provide additional redundancy in the resupply to Station Nord and Mestersvig.” These are, in fact, “located in highly challenging weather areas where not many have operational experience. Also because the A400M is a larger aircraft than our C130J and can carry a load that is almost twice as large,” he further said in the statement.
