The aircraft can carry a payload of up to 37 tonnes over ranges of up to 4700 nm. Designed for mission versatility the A400M will be able to carry all loads and vehicles in the European Staff Requirement (ESR) inventory, serve as an aerial delivery platform and act as an in-flight refueller for both fast jets and helicopters.

Launched under a single contract in 2003 with 180 orders for seven European launch customers, the A400M represents the most ambitious military procurement programme ever undertaken in Europe. The launch customer nations, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom were subsequently joined by Malaysia and South Africa, which recognised the potential of the new airlifter for their own requirements and brought the total number of commitments to 192. The initial contract, worth some 20 billion Euros was signed with a single interface between Airbus Military and the European defense procurement organization (Organisation Conjointe de Coordination en matière d’Armement - OCCAR), the contractual body representing all seven European customer nations.