page_title: Transall C-160
section_title: Military operators
hierarchical_section_title: Transall C-160 / Operators / Military operators
context_page_description: The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern transport 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.
  The C-160 remains in service more than 50 years after the type's first flight in 1963. It has provided logistical support to overseas operations and has served in specialist roles such as an aerial refueling tanker, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform.
  The C-160 is expected to be replaced in French and German service by the Airbus A400M Atlas.
context_section_description:  France
  French Air Force – 78
  50 C-160F (+ 3 pre-production aircraft) :
  61ᵉ (61st) Escadre de Transport at Orléans – Bricy Air Base (the wing used a centralised aircraft maintenance system and the Transalls did not carry individual squadron markings)
  Escadron de transport 1/61 Touraine was the first French squadron which operated the C-160F, from November 1967 to 2012. Now has received its first A-400Ms ;
  Escadron de transport 2/61 Franche-Comté operated the C-160F from August 1969 to 1988. Now uses the C-130H Hercules ;
  Escadron de transport 3/61 Poitou has been operating the C-160F since October 1970, and still has some aging planes, due to delays in the development program of the new Airbus A-400M transport aircraft.
  25 C-160NG :
  64ᵉ (64th) Escadre de Transport at Évreux-Fauville Air Base
  Escadron de transport 1/64 Béarn, has been operating its aircraft since December 1981 ;
  Escadron de transport 2/64 Anjou, has been operating its aircraft since April 1982 ;
  Two of these NG variant aircraft have been transformed into the electronic warfare variant C-160G "Gabriel", used in the "Escadron électronique aéroporté 1/54 Dunkerque" (Electronic Warfare Squadron) ;
  Four NGs have been converted into the C-160H communications relay variant, in use in the "Escadron avion 1/59 Bigorre" (Châteaudun Air Base) between 1988 and 2001. They are now retired and used as spare parts providers ;
  Between 1973 and 1985, four C-160F have been converted to a C-160P variant, which was used by the Aéropostale company. They are now retired and used as wreckages for firemen training.
  Since 1999, all the F and NG aircraft operated in French air forces have been converted to the last upgraded C-160R standard.
   Germany
  German Air Force (Luftwaffe) – 40
  Air Transport Wing 61 at Landsberg-Lech Air Base (disbanded 31 December 2017)
  Air Transport Wing 62 at Wunstorf Air Base
  Air Transport Wing 63 at Hohn Air Base
   Turkey
  Turkish Air Force – 20 former West German Air Force C-160Ds delivered in 1971
  221 Filo at Erkilet
   South Africa
  South African Air Force – Nine new C-160Z delivered in 1969 and 1970, all except one scrapped, the survivor is now at the South African Air Force Museum
  28 Squadron SAAF at Waterkloof
caption: A Transall of the German Air Force performing a cargo drop
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