On August 17, the German Air Force – better known as the Luftwaffe – received the second or two Airbus A321LR aircraft. The two aircraft – with tactical codes 15+10 and 15+11 – will now be on call to meet the Luftwaffe’s needs.

The Luftwaffe just retired an A310 performing similar roles that had served its useful life. ‘Kure Schumacher’ is a 32-year-old aircraft carrying registration 10+23, and its last mission was participating in OPERATION ALLIES REFUGE to help evacuate German nationals and refugees to Germany from Afghanistan after the Afghanistan government fell to the Taliban.

Will be modified for medevac

The two Luftwaffe A321LRs will also be modified fully to handle medevac duties in a year or so. Lufthansa Technik will provide fourteen units, with two as a reserve of the Patient Transport Unit New Generation (German: Patiententransporteinheit Neuer Generation, short: PTE NG) to the German armed forces. Preliminary work for the Medevac mission, for example, for the oxygen supply onboard the two aircraft, was completed already, but the Luftwaffe needs the aircraft now with the A310 retirement.

Necessary for the Luftwaffe

A crowd of Lufthansa Technik and Luftwaffe souls under the Luftwaffe's new A321LR - 15+11
The A321LR will be a key contributor to the Luftwaffe's future.
Photo: Lufthansa Technik AG

As Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the Luftwaffe’s Air Chief, explained in a statement upon receipt of the first A321LR,

"This A321 will shoulder an enormous mission package and help save lives on its worldwide missions. We are thus excited about this new 'member' of our 'Air Force Family.’ Our flight crews, on-board crews, technicians and members of the Special Air Mission Wing welcome it warmly."

Indeed, the A321LRs come with a conference room, quality seating, and more to provide quality transport.

About the Airbus A321LR

A mock-up of how the A321LRs will look
A mock-up of how the A321LRs will look. Photo: Lufthansa Technik

The Airbus A321LR, according to Airbus, is capable of flying routes of up to 4,000 NM with 206 passengers by utilizing extra fuel in three Additional Centre Tanks (ACTs). With two CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines and Sharklet wingtip devices, per-seat fuel use is reduced by 20% to give another 500NM range or an additional two tons of payload.

The two aircraft for the Luftwaffe were taken from a Lufthansa order for the plane willingly. Furthermore, AeroTELEGRAPH says that, in total, the A321LRs for the Luftwaffe can have a unique 18 different interior configurations. These range from passenger transport of 136 to 163 passengers to parliamentary flight support to transport German parliamentarians on their networking trips. Again, the A321LRs can serve as a flying hospital for six critically ill patients or up to 12 moderately sick or injured individuals.

For the Chief Executive Officer of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, the A321LRs will provide more range and fewer emissions.

"The A321LR not only flies longer routes than ever, but it also delivers a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to previous generation aircraft and is certified to run on 50% sustainable aviation fuels, which can reduce emissions even further. In short, I have every confidence the A321 Long Range will be an excellent addition to the Special Air Mission Wing."

Ultimately, this is the very first use of the A321 in any variant by any military. Only time will tell if the Luftwaffe’s two A321s prove the viability of the design in military roles.

Do you think the A321LR will succeed as a military aircraft? Let us know in the comments.