Defence minister Gonul visit Spain

Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul yesterday left for Seville, Spain to attend a one-day meeting of defense ministers as part of the A400M cargo plane program. The A400M, Europe's biggest and most modern military transport aircraft, is expected to be ready for delivery in 2012. The $20-billion project was initiated in 2003 by seven partner nations (Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg) to renew their military cargo planes. Designed by Airbus Military, the A400M is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It is equipped with new technologies doubling cargo capacity over existing aircraft, both in payload and volume.