Editing Transall C-160 (section)

{{Short description|German/French military transport aircraft}}
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{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = C-160
 |image = File:C-160 Transall Germany 50+95 Neubrandenburg 2013 (9965209624).jpg
 |caption = C-160 of the [[German Air Force]]
 |type = [[Military transport aircraft]]
 |national_origin = [[France]]/[[Germany]]
 |manufacturer = [[Transall]]
 |designer =
 |first_flight = 25 February 1963
 |introduction = [[1967 in aviation|1967]]
 |retired = [[South Africa]] (1997) <br>Germany (2021) <br>France (2022)
 |status = In service with [[Turkish Air Force]]
 |primary_user = [[German Air Force]] (former)
 |more_users = [[French Air and Space Force]] (former) <br />[[Turkish Air Force]]
 |produced = 1965–1985
 |number_built = 214
 |unit cost =
 |variants =
}}

The '''Transall C-160''' is a [[military transport aircraft]], produced as a joint venture between [[France]] and [[Germany]].  "[[Transall]]" is a German abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium ''Transporter Allianz'', comprising the companies of [[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm|MBB]], [[Aerospatiale]], and [[VFW-Fokker]].<ref>Aircraft, compared and contrasted, p. 145.</ref>

The C-160 was developed during the late 1950s and 1960s with the initial goal of fulfilling the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for both the [[French Air and Space Force|French]] and [[German Air Force]]s. On 25 February 1963, the first prototype performed its [[maiden flight]]; the type entered service four years later. Production was divided between the German and French consortium members; early on, multiple production lines were operated, but this was reorganised to use a single assembly line in [[Toulouse]] during the late 1970s. In addition to the type's domestic sales, the C-160 achieved some success on the export market; such customers included the [[South African Air Force]] and [[Turkish Air Force]] as well as a number of civilian operators.

The C-160 has had a lengthy service life, during which it has provided logistical support during numerous overseas operations, including the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|invasion of Cyprus]], the [[South African Border War]], and the [[Gulf War]]. Furthermore, it has adapted to fulfil several specialist roles, such as an [[aerial refueling]] tanker, [[signals intelligence|electronic intelligence]] gathering, and as a communications platform. In French and German service, the C-160 has been replaced by the larger and newer [[Airbus A400M Atlas]],<ref>Hewson, R. ''The Vital Guide to Military Aircraft'' 2nd edition. London: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2001.</ref> and a small number of [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules|Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules]] during the early twenty-first century. Nevertheless, the C-160 remains in active service more than 60 years after the type's first flight in 1963.