By Babak Taghvaee
On May 20, 2022, French Air and Space Force officially retired its last remaining C-160R Transall aircraft from service of Airborne Electronic Squadron (EEA) 1/54 Dunkirk. The aircraft with R202 and R212 serial numbers had been used for both C-160G Gabriel pilot training and also to undertake a part of the missions performed by the EC 3/61 Poitou in BA123 Orleans-Bricy during the final days of their service.
EC 3/61 Poitou which its key task is supporting the operations of French Parachute Forces had itself its last two C-160Rs retired on April 28, 2022. The aircraft with R203 and R226 serials were delivered to the Transall Generation Association in Toulouse where they are scheduled to remain airworthy alongside at-least another C-160R and possibly a C-160G which is scheduled to be retired by the end of the year.
During the Transall farewell ceremony at BA105 Evreux on May 20, the 64th Transport Wing of the French Air and Space Force flew a formation of four transport aircraft consisting of C-160R with R212 serial, an Airbus A400M with 0110 serial number, a CASA CN.235M-300 with 199 serial number and a C-130J-30 Super Hercules with 5836 serial number. These four transport aircraft formed a Diamond formation and performed a bombshell display right before end of their demonstration.
Finally, after 55 years of service, the C-160 Transall medium-sized tactical transport aircraft was retired from service of the French Armed Forces, the last operator of the aircraft type in the world. German and Turkish Air Forces were also the other last operators of the type which had their C-160Ds retired in 2021 and 2019 respectively. Not to be forgotten, the South African Air Force 28 Squadron used both the C-160 Hercules and nine Transall C-160, but in January 1993, the C-160 was phased out due to budget constraints and high short-term refurbishment costs. The Hercules remains in service and continues to deliver excellent service, just as it does today in France.
