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| Royal ceremony as A400M transport planes enter service at RAF Brize Norton | Royal ceremony as A400M transport planes enter service at RAF Brize Norton |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The RAF's new fleet of transport aircraft officially comes in to service in Oxfordshire later. | |
| The A400M Atlas planes are being operated by 70 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton. | |
| The aircraft will replace the existing fleet of C-130 Hercules, which has been the workhorse of the RAF's air transport fleet for decades. | The aircraft will replace the existing fleet of C-130 Hercules, which has been the workhorse of the RAF's air transport fleet for decades. |
| A new standard is due to be presented to the squadron by the Princess Royal during a Standing Up ceremony later. | A new standard is due to be presented to the squadron by the Princess Royal during a Standing Up ceremony later. |
| The Airbus-manufactured planes are capable of flying almost twice as fast, twice as far and carrying almost twice as much cargo than its predecessor. | The Airbus-manufactured planes are capable of flying almost twice as fast, twice as far and carrying almost twice as much cargo than its predecessor. |
| Commanding officer, Wing Commander Simon Boyle, said: "For a large aircraft, it's extremely manoeuvrable - it's a very exciting time for us." | Commanding officer, Wing Commander Simon Boyle, said: "For a large aircraft, it's extremely manoeuvrable - it's a very exciting time for us." |
| The UK is the third country to operate the aircraft, after France and Turkey and the £2.8bn programme will see a total of 22 aircraft delivered to the RAF. | The UK is the third country to operate the aircraft, after France and Turkey and the £2.8bn programme will see a total of 22 aircraft delivered to the RAF. |
| They have a cargo capacity of 32 tonnes and are capable of carrying passengers, heavy vehicles, helicopters or cargo pallets to support military tasks and humanitarian relief efforts. | They have a cargo capacity of 32 tonnes and are capable of carrying passengers, heavy vehicles, helicopters or cargo pallets to support military tasks and humanitarian relief efforts. |
| The fleet will eventually replace the C-130 Hercules which is being phased out by 2022. | The fleet will eventually replace the C-130 Hercules which is being phased out by 2022. |
| All A400M aircraft were grounded after one crashed near Seville on 9 May after a failed emergency landing during its first flight. | All A400M aircraft were grounded after one crashed near Seville on 9 May after a failed emergency landing during its first flight. |
| The RAF said flights resumed on 15 June following a formal safety review. | The RAF said flights resumed on 15 June following a formal safety review. |