Everything about Airbus A400m totally explained
The
Airbus A400M is a four-engine
turboprop military transport & tanker, designed by
Airbus Military.
Development
The project began as the Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA) group, set up in 1982 by
Aerospatiale,
British Aerospace,
Lockheed, and
MBB to develop a replacement for the
C-130 Hercules and
C-160 Transall. Varying requirements and the complications of international politics caused slow progress. In 1989 Lockheed left the grouping and went on to develop an upgraded Hercules, the
C-130J. With the addition of
Alenia and
CASA the FIMA group became
Euroflag.
The partner nations,
France,
Germany,
Italy,
Spain, the
United Kingdom,
Turkey,
Belgium, and
Luxembourg, signed an agreement in May 2003 to buy 212 aircraft. These nations decided to charge
OCCAR with the management of the acquisition of the A400M.
Following the withdrawal of Italy and revision of procurement totals the revised requirement was for 180 aircraft, with first flight in 2008 and first delivery in 2009. On
28 April 2005,
South Africa joined the partnership programme with the state owned
Denel Aerospace Systems receiving a contract for fuselage components.
Design
The Airbus A400M will increase the airlift capacity and range compared to the aircraft it was originally set to replace, the older versions of the Hercules and Transall. Cargo capacity is expected to double over existing aircraft, both in payload and volume, and range is increased substantially as well. Like Airbus' other aircraft, the A400M will have a full
glass cockpit (all information accessed through large colour screens) and
fly-by-wire and as such will represent a technological leap compared to the older
C-130s and
C-160s that many countries now operate.
The Airbus A400M will operate in many configurations including cargo transport, troop transport,
MEDEVAC,
aerial refuelling, and electronic surveillance.
Originally the SNECMA M138 turboprop (based on the M88 core) was selected to power the A400M. Airbus Military issued a new Request for Proposal in April 2002 which
Pratt & Whitney Canada and
Europrop answered. Although industry sources indicated the P&WC proposal was the winning bid Airbus Military announced, after evaluating both designs, the selection of the Europrop TP400-D6 in May 2003.
The A400M's wings are primarily
carbon fibre reinforced plastic. The cockpit features a
fly-by-wire flight control system with sidestick controllers and flight envelope protection. High performance turboprop engines will allow operation in a civil air traffic control environment.
Production
The A400M assembly at the
Seville plant of
EADS Spain started in Q1 2007. Airbus plans to manufacture thirty aircraft per year. The major assemblies arrive by
Airbus Beluga transporters. The four
EuroProp TP400-D6 flight test engines have been delivered in late February 2008 for the first Airbus A400M. According to EADS the first "static tests" of a dedicated A400M complete structure were started on 14th March in Spain.
The first test flight, scheduled until recently for Q1 2008, has been postponed due to repeated program delays, schedule adjustments and mounting financial pressures. EADS announced in early January 2008 that continued development problems with the engines has resulted in a delay to Q2 2008 before the first engine test flights on a C130 testbed aircraft. The first flight of the aircraft, previously scheduled for July 2008 timeframe is now TBD, but a best estimate would be late 2008. There are also stories in the international Aviation Press, denied by Airbus Executives, that the aircraft faces other design and or development issues related to wings and fuselage components. Civil certification under
EASA CS-25 will be followed later by certification for military purposes.
Sales
On
9 December 2004, the
South African Air Force announced it was to purchase eight A400Ms at the total cost of €837 million, and had options on 6 more, with
South Africa therefore joining the Airbus Military team as an industrial partner. Deliveries are expected from 2010 to 2014.
On
18 July 2005, the Chilean Air Force signed a
MOU for 3 aircraft to be delivered between 2018 and 2022, although the deal was later cancelled.
On
8 December 2005 the
Royal Malaysian Air Force ordered four A400M, to replace its ageing fleet of C-130s.
Canada issued a tender on
5 July 2006 for 17 new
tactical airlifters to replace their old
CC-130E models. The A400M would be competing for the order with the
Lockheed C-130J. Airbus has proposed the A400Ms would serve as the Canadian Force's mid-range transports. Instead, the government has purchased 4 Boeing C-17s as long-range transports, the first of which was delivered into CF inventory on August 12th 2007
(External Link
) and on June 29th 2007 issued the RFP to Lockheed Martin for procurement of the C-130J,
(External Link) This effectively eliminates the A400M from any hope EADS/Airbus entertained about Canada purchasing the A400M when it finally becomes available. On
16 January 2008, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced a 1.4 billion deal with Lockheed-Martin to acquire 17 Hercules.
Orders
Specifications
Further Information
Get more info on 'Airbus A400m'.
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