A400-M

[Junker]

Airbus sets date for A400M first flight – but not saying when
Friday, 08 May 2009

Airbus Military chairman and MD Domingo Urena-Raso says the company has set a date for the first flight of the much delayed A400M Loadmaster military transport aircraft.

He told an industry briefing in Seville, Spain, this week that a date has been communicated to the aircraft’s nine clients – which included the South African Air Force. He would not, however, publicly state the target date.

“Customers have been advised, but it’s not for publication. By the end of July we should have an idea of when the first flight will take place and also of the new delivery schedule.”

First flight was scheduled for last December but was indefinitely postponed in part because Euro Prop International (EPI), the engine consortium created to build the powerplant for the A400M failed to follow protocol in certifying the Fully Digital Engine Control (FADEC) software for the aircraft’s massive TP400-D6 turboprops.

Even then the €20 billion programme was running well behind schedule: the first production aircraft was meant to enter French air force service this year. South Africa was slated to receive the first of eight aircraft next year.

A total of 192 aircraft are currently on order – 180 for Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Turkey and a further 12 for export to Malaysia and South Africa.

Urena-Raso added Airbus had under-estimated the complexities of the programme and the difference between a nature of a military and civil project.

He noted that this resulted in a complex workshare arrangement, a fixed price contract and the selection – under strong pressure – of the EPI powerplant.

Silver linings

However, in comparison with other military aircraft programmes, slippage was not excessive and the aircraft rolled out on June 26 last year was “already very mature.”

Aircraft MSN 1 was structurally completed in September and ready for first flight bar the FADEC software. While waiting for the powerplant software to be completed, other work was undertaken including ground vibration tests and configuration enhancements with improvements to systems software as well as structural modifications.

Indoor systems testing has also been completed and outdoor tests commenced this week. Engine run and taxi tests are to be conducted over the European summer (SA winter).

All static tests required ahead of first flight have been completed, Urena-Raso added.

Aircraft MSN 2 achieved “power-on” at end-April 2009 and the wing assembly for MSN 3 is currently in progress. Final assembly will commence at month’s end and the front fuselage sub-assembly, wings, tailplane and fin has been delivered to Seville.

During a question-and-answer session Urena-Raso added suppliers – including some I South Africa – will be asked to ramp up production after “the flight test campaign” in order for Airbus Military to validate load information. “When we have this, we will be able to re-start production.”

He also confirmed the aircraft has exceeded its target weight, but said it would not affect performance. “Like all aircraft, we have weight issues. But our priority is to deliver an aircraft that meets the contracted specified payload/range capability. The aircraft is comfortably within this capability target. Any weight reduction of the aircraft would offer further enhancements.”

Urena-Raso further said the “programme is entirely feasible and that it will be the new military transport aircraft of the future.” To demonstrate this faith the company is spending its own money on moving the project forward.

On timelines he noted the company should by year-end be “moving ahead with modifications and updates to the existing contracts.” Airbus CEO Tom Enders has previously said the A400M project could not be completed within the existing contracts.

Thomson Reuters

[Junker]

Progress in A400M rescue talks - sources
Mon May 11, 2009 2:45am EDT

PARIS, May 11 (Reuters) - Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA) and European governments have made "progress" in defining the technical specifications of the A400M in a bid to restore production of the delayed military aircraft, sources close to the talks said.

Simplifying the technical requirements is one of three key stumbling blocks in talks between EADS and the seven European NATO countries aimed at rescuing Europe's biggest military project, whose delays have angered Britain and Germany.

Other major debating points include the price of the transport plane -- estimated at about 100 million euros ($131.7 million) each -- and the need to agree a new delivery timetable.

"There has been good progress in defining the technical characteristics," one of the sources said, without elaborating.

An Airbus Military spokeswoman declined to comment.

The A400M, designed to carry troops and heavy equipment to rugged areas like Afghanistan, was ordered by seven European NATO countries in 2003 for a total cost of 20 billion euros. ($1=.7592 Euro)

(Reporting by Tim Hepher)

(Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

Thomson Reuters

[Matheus]

Será que nosso C-390 não vai ficar pronto antes deste A-400 ainda?

[WalterGaudério]

Será que nosso C-390 não vai ficar pronto antes deste A-400 ainda?

Eu ja cantei essa pedra por aqui, e estou achando que o C 390 chega antes que esse aí.

[Izaias Maia]

France will consider leasing or buying Lockheed Martin C-130J air transports as part of a plan to meet urgent airlift requirements until it receives its first A400M transports, or in the event the program is terminated.

EADS' A400M is years behind schedule and currently locked in a three-month standstill while the European launch nations discuss possible remedies, including a new delivery timetable and price schedule, a possible cutback or stretch-out in orders, and relaxation of specifications and penalties with prime contractor EADS and its Airbus Military aircraft group. The standstill ends at the end of June, at which time partners will be free to exercise provisions allowing them to modify their purchase or pull out of the 20 billion euro ($28 billion) program.

Pursuing the undertaking and fixing development problems related to the TP400M engine, mission systems and aircraft performance could cost 5 billion euros or more.

Meeting with reporters today, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the launch customers will meet next week on the side of a NATO meeting to appraise the situation. Discussions are currently focused on four points: penalties, price revision, a price escalation clause and the industrial risk, including new delivery schedule and production rate. He said France and Spain remain committed to continuing the program, but that there is still not indication as to whether Germany will budge on specifications, and whether Britain will follow through with threats to pull out. He agreed the resignation of U.K. defense minister John Hutton earlier today could complicate talks.

Morin said the list of options to ensure fallback capacity in the absence of the A400M has been expanded to include lease or purchase of an undetermined number of C-130Js. Defense officials had previously said they would entertain lease of Boeing C-17s via a nascent NATO pool arrangement, as well as further use of Russian AN-124s leased by the alliance, the acquisition or lease of EADS Casa 295s, and moving forward the acquisition of Airbus 330 multirole tanker transports.

He said he had approved the modernization of the 10 newest C160 Transalls so they could remain in service until the first A400Ms arrive in 2014-15.

The A330 option would be limited to a couple aircraft and would not have any bearing on plans for a full-fledged MRTT program competition, either as a private financing initiative or a conventional purchase or lease, Morin said. Whatever the capacity solution retained the overall budget for the A400M, including interim capability requirements, could not exceed the current budget envelope, he pointed out. This could imply reducing or stretching out France's planned 50-unit A400M buy.

Morin declined to comment on EADS assurances that the A400M would make its first flight by year's end. But he insisted that the program remains worthwhile, with attractive export prospects, including in Australia. He said flight tests of the A400M's TP400 turboprop engine are going well and that the engine "is giving full satisfaction," according to armaments agency DGA.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... 400M%20Gap

[Sterrius]

Seria extremamente vantajoso pra Embraer o A400 ser cancelado ou atrasar mais. (Apesar que nao gosto de desejar mal pra não atrair isso ).

Agora que eu não confio num avião com tantos atrasos e remendos eu não confio. Um projeto com 3000 problemas da um bom historico de como pode ser o futuro da aeronave. (motivo pelo qual eu tb não gosto do F35 ).

[soultrain]

With A400M Delayed, France Eyes C-130J
Unlikely To Pursue C-17
By pierre tran
Published: 8 June 2009

PARIS - The French Air Force, seeking a stopgap for the delayed A400M airlifter, is unenthusiastic about buying a small fleet of C-17s but is eyeing ways to get access to the C-130J, air chief Gen. Stéphane Abrial said.

Abrial said the service is considering the Boeing C-17, but is loath to buy a small number of the four-engine jets.

"For long range and large volumes, there is the C-17, which offers a lot of capability, but it's very expensive," Abrial said in an interview. "As head of the Air Force, I would rather not have to create a micro fleet, and so we're looking at all the possibilities, such as acquiring with a partner, or a lease, or as part of the Strategic Airlift [SALIS] group of countries within NATO. We're talking a lot with the British."

France is among the seven nations that committed to develop and buy 180 A400Ms, which are larger than the C-130 but smaller than the C-17. But several of the countries are looking at their options in the face of problems, notably on the software that controls the plane's TP400 engines, which are delaying deliveries by three years.

France, which was to receive the first of its 50 A400Ms later this year, is now looking for ways to improve tactical airlift capability to meet its military needs and preserve hard-won aircrew proficiency. Lockheed Martin's C-130J is the front-runner for a gap-filler aircraft.

"There is no equivalent product in the tactical segment to the C-130J in the market today," Abrial said. "We're studying the possibility of getting access to the C-130J, either through a new buy, or leasing. Among the interim solutions are also buying secondhand aircraft or a service contract."

A French Air Force spokesman said there is "a preference for the C-130J, because of its size, carrying capacity and range." He said "ideally 12 or 15" aircraft were needed to form a squadron, and fewer than 10 would not make economic sense because of the need for logistical support.

The Air Force flies 15 of the older versions of the C-130, and also flies 47 EADS CASA C-160 Transall transports. Service officials also would like to add two or three to top up its fleet of 19 C-235s, also by CASA.

The Air Force is eager to pick an interim plane, since the A400M is expected to be three or four years late in delivery and a further two years are needed for the aircraft to enter operational service.

"The situation is not critical but it is delicate," the spokesman said. "Decisions need to be taken quickly."

Abrial said the service recently started precision airdrops in Afghanistan and is keen to provide full support to allied ground groups.

The spokesman said there was less need for strategic airlift. France typically participates in coalition operations under NATO, UN or EU flags, and could ask for strategic transport from allies or lease Antonov or Ilyushin aircraft. A hypothetical fleet of two or three heavy transports would probably spend most of the time on the tarmac of a French air base.

French Ministry of Defense spokesman Laurent Teisser confirmed that the C-130J is one of the options under review. Other possibilities include speeding up procurement of the A330 multirole tanker transport (MRTT) to replace the C-135 tanker.

The British are also eyeing early use of A330, which is to enter service in 2011 as part of the FSTA private finance initiative deal awarded to EADS last year, a company spokesman in London said.

Teisser said the decision will turn on operational needs, a "collective approach" with allies, availability of the aircraft selected, and compatibility with buying the A400M.

By "collective approach," he meant discussing with the British government on how best to acquire the C-130J. The German Transall fleet still has plenty of operational life and the other European forces are not as heavily engaged in Afghanistan as Britain and France.

The final decision will likely be taken by French Defense Minister Hervé Morin, advised by an interministerial investment committee with recommendations from the Chief of the Defense Staff, Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (DGA) procurement office and the Air Force.

If there is disagreement or need for political cover, it may go to the office of the prime minister or the president, given the political significance.

Lockheed Pitches

A Lockheed spokesman said the firm has offered to supply C-130s to virtually all of the A400M partners.

James Grant, Lockheed's vice president for customer engagement for air mobility and special operations programs, said the company has proposed five or 10 C-130Js, and other options, to the British Royal Air Force.

"We have and are having dialogue with the RAF," he said.

Grant added that Lockheed is ready to offer purchase and lease-related acquisition of the C-130J to the French.

If Britain and France both bought C-130Js, it could yield logistical benefits, he said. The British already operate K- and J-models. The Ks, which have seen extensive use by special forces, are to be retired as the A400M enters service.

The spokesman said the British have received pricing and availability for new J-model aircraft and the company had also been involved informally in a dialogue about potential options for revamping the K-model variants.

A source familiar with the talks said a key issue for the Europeans right now is availability of early production slots on the busy Lockheed assembly line.

Trading Delivery Slots?

One answer might be for the U.S. military to swap out some of their slots to give the U.K. and others the delivery dates they require, he said. It's a tactic that's been used several times in recent years on armored vehicles and unmanned air vehicles to help out the British.

The Lockheed spokesman said the company was already doubling annual C-130J production to 24 aircraft by 2010, and that the assembly line could be expanded to build as many as 36 a year if required.

Robbin Laird, director of consultancy ICSA, based here and in Washington, said, "What makes the C-130J interesting is the multimission option. The aircraft has a coast guard and ISR variant, which makes it a useful interim aircraft but also a potential long-term complement to the A400M."

Lockheed is marketing the J model as a multimission platform, with capabilities for special operations and ISR, using a system of roll-on, roll-off pallets. For instance, the company is working with the U.S. Marine Corps on putting an ISR capability on a KC-130J tanker. A gunship application is expected in the future. The firm hopes this flexibility will persuade the French government to continue to operate the aircraft even after the A400M has entered service.

Jean-Pierre Maulny, deputy director of think-tank Institut des Relations Internationales et Stratégiques, said a French acquisition of the C-130J would be logical.

"The Air Force already uses the C-130, the Transalls are out of breath and when the Transall is retired, there will be a big capacity gap," Maulny said.

Maintenance and support needs mean a fairly large interim fleet would be needed to amortize the costs, he said. Moreover, A400M deliveries are to be stretched out over 10 years.

The British have also been discussing adding one or two C-17s to their small fleet if the money can be squeezed from the Defence Ministry's crisis-hit budget. Those conversations are not directly related to A400M delivery problems.

A400M Rescue

Meanwhile, the A400M partners - Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey - are in crisis talks with Airbus over a possible rescue plan for the much-delayed aircraft. Their contract allowed them to walk away from the program in March, but the two sides introduced a three-month standstill to allow the terms and delivery schedule to be renegotiated. The moratorium ends on June 30.

Even if a way ahead is agreed by then, Airbus Military boss Domingo Urena told reporters recently a detailed agreement will likely take until year's end.

Airbus admits the aircraft is seven tons overweight and is suffering from a number of technical issues including problems relating to the certification of the giant TP400 turboprop engines.

-- Andrew Chuter contributed to this report from London.

[manuel.liste]

Louis Gallois, presidente de EADS: "Estamos convencidos de que el avión estará volando a finales de año. Un poco antes, un poco después, tenemos un margen de unas semanas"

http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/empre ... _4/cdsemp/

[caixeiro]

Alemanha e Franca ja procuram solucao para o inevitavel atraso do Projeto A-400M, provavelmente o H-130J, pena que o KC-390 nao esteja ai..

[HIGGINS]

Considerando a fragilidade das Aeronaves "Airbus", não creio ser de bom tom, adquirir dela um custoso transportador militar. Melhor enterrar logo isso.

[Glauber Prestes]

Eu tenho a revista FLAP Internacional sobre o MAKS´97, e tem um trecho sobre o AN-70 que diz:

"Na abertura do MAKS´97, o presidente russo, Boris Yeltsin, expressou seu apoio pessoal ao programa, que coincide com um esforço das empresas integrantes em colocar o AN-70 como virtual sucessor/substituto do problemático FLA, o futuro transporte militar europeu. De fato, o designer-chefe do programa AN-70, Piotr Balabuev, disse que 'enquanto só as fases de pesquisa/desenvolvimento do FLA deverão consumir de 7 a 10 bilhões de dólares, o AN-70 já está pronto para produção, e satisfaz plenamente todos os requisitos de performance dos países envolvidos no FLA'.

FLA-Future Large Aircraft, ou A-400.

[Enlil]

Os alemães parece q até se empolgaram com essa idéia. No entanto, tudo indica q o lobbie da Airbus foi efetivo...

[HIGGINS]

Tão efetivo que capitalizou bilhões das nações européias!
Uma gande sacanagem da Airbus!!!!

[caixeiro]

Tão efetivo que capitalizou bilhões das nações européias!
Uma gande sacanagem da Airbus!!!!

E "a sacanagem" vai aumentar, eles acabam de anunciar na Franca que para o "Projeto Sair", so com vendas fortes fora do consorcio
inicia do Projeto A-400M, entam vai fica dificil esse bicho decolar.

Abracos Elcio Caixeiro

[Junker]

Airbus says UK exit will not kill A400M
Monday, 22 June 2009

A British withdrawal from the A400M transport aircraft project would hurt Europe's biggest military programme but not kill it, Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders says

"If Britain were to make this decision, it would have an impact, but would not put the programme in danger," Enders said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Economista.

"We need the British industry's experience and knowledge and it seems fairly unlikely that they will not take part in such an ambitious project both for them and the rest of Europe," he said.

European defence ministers are due to meet in Seville, southern Spain today to discuss the troubled project, which has been delayed by about four years.

Britain, which ordered 25 of the 180 planes earmarked for European NATO countries, has threatened to pull out over the delays while also signalling its commitment to stay on board.

However, sources have told Reuters it has put forward conditions other partners are unlikely to accept.

"It is up to the governments involved to reach an agreement now. We think it is unlikely that there will be a unanimous decision to block the contract," Enders said.

Seven European Nato countries have ordered the A400M, designed to carry troops and heavy equipment to rugged areas such as Afghanistan, but development problems have delayed production and it has yet to make its maiden flight.

Thomson Reuters