Airbus A400M Deliveries To Turkey Delayed

Deliveries of two Airbus A400M military transport planes to Turkey in 2016 are expected to be delayed and talks are ongoing on delivery of a replacement for one that crashed on its maiden flight last year.

Ankara signed a deal for 10 of the Airbus heavy cargo and troop carriers in 2003 as part of a group of seven European NATO nations, expecting its order to be fulfilled by 2018.

Turkey received two of the aircraft in 2014 and was due to receive two more last year but one of them crashed in Spain on May 9, killing four test crew.

"Talks are continuing on the delivery date for the replacement," an official from the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM), part of Turkey's defence ministry, told Reuters news agency on condition his name was not used.