Why This British Military Plane Is Repeatedly Flying Over California & Arizona

A British Airbus A400M turboprop airlifter has been seen flying repeated missions over California and Arizona in mid-2025. This is the same aircraft seen in the 2015 movie Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, where Tom Cruise is seen performing a dangerous stunt clinging onto the side of the aircraft as it took off and climbed. At the time of filming, the A400M Atlas was brand new, having just entered service with the French Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (Air and Space Force) in 2013.

The Airbus A400M has not been purchased by the United States Air Force, which relies on fleets of C-5M Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster IIIs, and C-130/C-130J Super Hercules for its strategic and airlift needs. Here is what to know about the Royal Air Force Airbus A400Ms and why one was flying in the United States.

Why A British Strategic Airlifter Is Operating In The US

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In August 2025, the English-language Indian news outlet, the Hindustan Times, reported that FlightRadar24 data shows a Royal Air Force ( RAF) Airbus A400M tactical/strategic airlifter had been flying out of US airbases for several days. It says the aircraft had been seen operating out of Oceanside, Blythe, and Yuma airports, while witnesses in Morro Bay have reported seeing it flying low over the coastline.

Other people in Cupertino have claimed it has passed overhead at an unusually low altitude, while also remarking on the airlifter’s large size and unusual appearance. The article notes that the presence of the aircraft in the United States is likely nothing unusual and is likely a routine deployment. The United States and the United Kingdom enjoy exceptionally close military ties and frequently train together.

While the British Ministry of Defence and press officers at Fort Hunter Liggett haven’t commented on the aircraft, British forces are known to have conducted parachute training at the US Army’s Fort Hunter Liggett in 2023. At the time, the Royal Air Force squadron leader remarked that the diverse terrain of the area offered ideal conditions for challenging British airborne troops.

The Airbus A400M Atlas In RAF Service

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The Airbus A400M is a large European turboprop airlifter designed to fill the gap between the larger Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. The RAF operates the C-17 and formerly operated the C-130J, having retired them in 2023. The RAF states, “Atlas C.1 A400M provides tactical airlift and strategic oversize lift capabilities complementing those of the C-17 fleets.”

The RAF’s website has not been updated to reflect the C-130J retirements, as it still reads “Atlas provides a tactical air lift and strategic oversize lift capability that complements the Royal Air Force’s C-130J and C-17A fleets.” The United Kingdom initially planned to order a total of 25 A400M airlifters, but later trimmed that number to 22 aircraft. These have all been delivered, and the RAF plans to order more aircraft in the late 2020s.

These A400Ms make up the backbone of the Royal Air Force’s airlift capabilities. During the Kabul airlift, as the Afghan government crumbled in 2021 and fell to the Taliban, the USAF and RAF spearheaded the biggest mass evacuation since WWII. Of the over 120,000 people evacuated, the RAF moved around 17,000 of them using C-17s, C-130Js, A400Ms, and A330 Voyagers. 31 of the flights were conducted by the A400M, carrying over 3,500 personnel.

Airbus A400M Capabilities

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The Atlas is able to carry a 30-tonne payload a distance of 2,400 nautical miles and can operate on prepared and unprepared civilian and military airfields. It can land on short, unprepared, and semi-prepared landing strips. It comes with a service ceiling of up to 40,000 feet and can carry 116 passengers. With a mixed load, it can carry nine aircraft pallets and 54 passengers. Alternatively, it can carry 66 stretchers.

Atlas payloads can also be delivered by parachute using gravity extraction from its rear ramp. Its maximum payload is 81,600 lbs or 37 tonnes. It is designed to carry heavy and outsized loads that are unable to fit in tactical airlifters, like heavy armored vehicles, helicopters, and specialized engineering equipment. The worldwide fleet has now logged more than 200,000 flying hours.

The Airbus A400M occupies a different niche than the C-17 Globemaster III, which is out of production. It also doesn’t directly compete with the smaller Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules or the Embraer C-390 Millennium. Those tactical airlifters compete with each other. The only other large airlifters in production are Russia’s Il-76, Chinese aircraft like the Xi’an Y-20, and the Japanese Kawasaki C-2.

Airbus A400M Operators And Orders

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The A400M has been selected by ten countries, which have now placed some 178 orders. Of these, 131 have been delivered, and all of them remain in active service. The bulk of the orders are from European countries. Germany has the most orders, having ordered 53 examples (48 delivered), followed by France at 50 (24 delivered), Spain at 27 (14 delivered), and the UK.

Additionally, all of Belgium’s seven orders have been delivered, as have all of Turkey’s orders for ten. Luxembourg has a single example that is co-operated with Belgium. A total of 170 Atlas A400Ms have been ordered by European countries, of which 126 have been delivered.

In Asia, two Atlas aircraft have been ordered by Indonesia, and four have been ordered and delivered to Malaysia. Meanwhile, the first of two Airbus A400Ms has been delivered to Kazakhstan. Potential customers include Poland, which expressed interest in January 2025, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The RAF Airbus A400M In The United States

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Looking at the flight data for the RAF’s fleet of A400Ms, it’s apparent that the exact aircraft seen in the United States in early August is registered ZM401 with the MSN 016. It first flew in October 2014 and is now 10.8 years old. Flight data shows it flew to the United States on June 15. It first flew to Blythe and operated many flights of 30 minutes to almost two hours from Blythe, returning to the same airport. On June 30, it flew to Portsmouth in the United States and then to Brize Norton.

After operating some flights out of Brize Norton, it touched down at New York LaGuardia and then flew to Tampa, Fort Worth, and San Luis Obispo, where it conducted more flights in mid-July. Operations at San Luis Obispo continued until July 26, when it flew to Blythe and operated from Blythe and Yuma until August 10. On July 31, it also touched down at Oceanside.

On August 10, the aircraft returned to the United Kingdom, stopping over at Toronto and St. John’s in Canada before arriving at Brize Norton. As of the time of writing, it appears to still be at Brize Norton.

RAF A400Ms Regularly Fly To The US & Around The World

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British Airbus A400Ms can be seen operating around the world. One appears to be regularly based at Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands. The one operating there as of the time of writing is registered ZM420 and is using the flight code “EMPEROR”. One of the most common places to see them outside the United Kingdom is at the British Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus. Akrotiri is a very important base, allowing the UK to sustain operations in the Middle East and provides refueling for the A400Ms.

In recent months, RAF A400Ms have flown everywhere from South Africa to Brunei in the Pacific. Others are also operating on US territory. For example, according to FlightRadar24, one registered ZM409 flew to Anderson on Guam as well as to Saipan and Tinian in the Marianas Islands in July and early August, apparently for military exercises with the United States.

To get there, it flew from the UK’s Brize Norton to Canada’s St. John’s and then to Minneapolis, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Wake Island. It returned to the UK, flying the other way through Brunei, Butterworth (Malaysia), Muscat (Oman), Akrotiri, and then to Brize Norton. Just as it’s common to see RAF aircraft in the United States, it is also common to see USAF C-17s, C-5s, C-130J, and tankers operating in the United Kingdom, where the USAF has some of its most significant overseas air bases (most notably RAF Lakenheath).