A400M MSN01

[87Nemesis87]

beh...potrebbe pure essere, ma considerando l'estremo nazionalismo USA, questa secondo me sarebbe proprio l'ultima delle ultime possibilità che prenderebbero in considerazione

[SuperMau]

Vero...
PERO' quasi tutta la componentistica critica nel 400 e' di produzione americana, e ci sono un sacco di OEM's con i quali lavoro che gia' si stanno condensando intorno a una lobby....e molti di questi sono gia' inkaxxati neri per la storia dell' MRTT, che sicuramente faranno di tutto per portare a casa la commessa..... E qui Boeing penso possa farci pochino contro....

[richelieu]

Ci si attrezza per la produzione .....

DATE: 24/03/10
SOURCE: Flight International

A400M final assembly line gears up for production

By Murdo Morrison

A year ago, the newly opened 145,000m2 (1.56 million ft2) A400M final assembly line complex at Seville was in danger of becoming one of the biggest white elephants in aerospace. The military airlifter was running three years late, customer governments were running out of patience and Airbus Military parent EADS was running out of money. Although it seemed unlikely a project so crucial to the future of European industrial integration could collapse, threats were being made on both sides to walk away from the €20 billion ($27 billion) programme.

Today, with MSN1 more than 50h into its test-flight programme, the second prototype about to join it and the third and fourth examples under final construction, the Seville plant is beginning to resemble a moving production line as staff work 24h to produce the final three flight-test aircraft - MSN3, MSN4 and MSN6 (there is no five) - and towards the first production aircraft. Sections of MSN7 will begin arriving from Airbus Military's network of factories at the end of next year ahead of entry into service in the final quarter of 2012.

Progress may appear painfully slow at the moment, but the final assembly line is designed to drive just-in-time efficiency from a logistics system involving six EADS assembly plants and a supply chain below that which takes in A400M partners Belgium and Turkey.

Sections arrive by Airbus Beluga or by road at a special raised dock at one end of the assembly line. A Beluga nose-shaped door opens to allow the wings (Filton UK), main fuselage (Bremen, Germany), nose sections (St Nazaire, France) and vertical tailplane (Stade, Germany) to be unloaded from by jig so the in-demand transporter only has to remain on the ground for a few hours, says final assembly line head Rafael Nogueras Cebrero. The centre wing box from Nantes, France and the horizontal tailplane from Tablada in Seville come by road.

The sections are moved by overhead crane to one of three stations - station 72 for wing join-up, equipping and testing; station 60 for nose and main fuselage integration; and station 50 for the tailplanes (the stations are named under an old Airbus system determined by number of days to factory roll-out). Fuselage, empennage and wings then converge at the five-deck station 40 where MSN4 - now in sections at various stations following the delivery of the main fuselage - will shortly begin to take shape.

In the hangar next door, ground tests take place at stations 35 and 30 before the aircraft moves on to station 20 for engine installation and outfitting. Ratier-Figeac prepares its propeller blades on site and supplies them fully assembled for integration with the Europrop International TP400-D6 engines. Here, MSN3 is having its cockpit and interior systems installed and from the outside at least, resembles the finished article with engines and propellers attached. It will be handed over to the flight-test department by the middle of the year. MSN4, which like MSN3 will have "medium test instrumentation", will fly in the second half of the year.

The final test aircraft, MSN6, will begin arriving at Seville in October, starting with the wings and empennage sections, followed by the fuselage and nose by the end of the year. Over the following five years, production of the A400M will ramp up to four a year by 2013, eight in 2014 and eventually to 2.5 a month by 2016. Final production schedules are likely to be affected by ongoing negotiations with the seven European customers to possibly defer or reduce the total 180 aircraft on order, something any new export commitments could help mitigate.

[richelieu]

Il primo volo di MSN002 è ormai prossimo .....

DATE: 24/03/10
SOURCE: Flight International

Second A400M nears first flight

By Murdo Morrison


The A400M will be flown by non-Airbus pilots for the first time in the next few weeks as the flight-test department strives to make up for time lost to bad weather and move the programme into its "certification phase" by September.

With around 50h of flying notched up, Airbus's vice-president flight-test division Fernando Alonso says the programme is going according to plan, with aerodynamic performance "very clean" and "showing no anomalies". MSN001 - which first took to the air on 11 December - shifted test centres from Seville to Toulouse on 9 March to take its number of flights into double figures, and MSN002 took its final steps towards an expected first flight around the turn of the month with a trial to run all four engines on 18 March.


Station 40 in the final assembly line, where wings, fuselage and empennage come together.
(Photo: Airbus Military)

Alonso expects officials from the European Aviation Safety Agency to begin the certification process shortly by flying alongside Airbus Military pilots. The company is keen to involve regulators as soon as possible. "We don't just believe in presenting the product to the authorities at the end," he says.

Without an unusually wet winter in southern Spain, Airbus Military would have by mid-March made around 25 flights - rather than 10 - and be flying four or five times a week. However, Alonso says: "We will catch up." The flight-test team has been constrained by the need to map the stresses on the propellers. Because the strain gauges are glued to the surface of the blades, the aircraft cannot fly through rain or heavy clouds. Alonso expects to remove these test blades by the end of the month.

He says that the delays caused by the integration of the engine - which stalled the programme by more than two years - have helped Airbus Military finesse other elements of the aircraft. "We have better maturity levels than we have seen on previous programmes," he says. "[The A400M] behaves like we have seen in the simulator, which is encouraging."

This is a trend that emerged with the A380 flight-test programme, adds Alonso. "One lesson from the A380 is that the accuracy of predictions is so phenomenal these days. In the past when we used windtunnel tests, we had to tweak and optimise lots of things in flight. This sort of accuracy shortens the flight-test period considerably."

The aircraft has flown at its maximum operating speed of 300kt (555km/h) or M0.72, and down to the stall warning, and at more than 30,000ft (9,150m).

STALL TESTS

Next on the agenda for MSN001 are stall tests ahead of the installation of an anti-deep stall recovery system. The aircraft has flown without one of its four engines running, and will shortly fly with power from only two engines. The ram air turbine has been tested.

"The engines are working fine," says Alonso. "We had some trouble with FADEC issues, but have adjusted the software." There have also been simulated hydraulic failures. "We have switched off both systems so the aircraft has been flying in total electronic configuration. The airplane can survive dual hydraulic failure, which is an absolute non-event," says Alonso.

MSN002 flight testing will focus on take-off, climb and cruise performance to establish the flight manual and validate the flap/slat configuration.

MSN001 will spend most of its flight-test schedule in Toulouse, but will return to Seville for specific campaigns. MSN002 will remain in Seville and there is a possibility MSN003 will take off for the first time from Spain and land in France, where it will be based, says Alonso. The fourth aircraft will stay in Seville, with the final test aircraft going to Toulouse.

Because the two flight-test centres are interchangable and connected via telemetry to the aircraft and other Airbus engineering centres, staff in Bremen, Filton, Hamburg, Seville and Toulouse can follow flights in real time and debrief by video conference, saving time and money in flying different teams to France for each stage of flight testing. "It cancels the disadvantages of geographical separation," says Alonso.

After such a long delay to first flight, he is determined now not to let the momentum slip. "These first six months are crucial to beat the hell out of the airplane and take it to its limits," he says. "The sooner we find anything that doesn't work the better. Once we are in our certification period, it becomes more complicated."

[richelieu]

Altre cancellazioni in vista ..... ora tocca alla RAF .....

DATE:
29/03/10
SOURCE:Flight International

Ainsworth: UK to cut A400M order

By Craig Hoyle

The UK will continue its commitment to the Airbus Military A400M project, but is likely to cut three aircraft from its planned order for the type, defence secretary Bob Ainsworth has announced.

Confirming that a formal contract amendment will be signed in the coming months by the EADS company and its seven European customers, Ainsworth says a recent agreement will see "Airbus Military deliver at least 22 aircraft" to the Royal Air Force.

This represents a reduction of three against its May 2003 order for 25 A400Ms; part of a European launch order for 180 of the tactical transports.


© Craig Hoyle/Flight International

Despite the likely order reduction, Ainsworth says he is "greatly encouraged by the progress made on the A400M programme". Under original plans, the UK should have received its first example later this year, but EADS expects deliveries to be the subject of a three-year delay.

In a flurry of pre-election activity, the UK Ministry of Defence has also signed a £120 million ($180 million) contract with BAE Systems to deliver in-service support for the RAF's new Hawk T2 advanced jet trainers, and with Boeing for part of a repeat order for its CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter.

The latter deal will cover the purchase of long-lead activities for the first 10 of a planned 22 F-model Chinooks to be delivered in 2012-13, the MoD says.

[richelieu]

Da chi verrà la prossima cancellazione? .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

Who Will Cut A400M Next?

Posted by Robert Wall at 3/29/2010 10:31 AM CDT


The U.K. decision to cut its A400M procurement from 25 units to 22 leaves plenty of room for other buyers to cut their numbers.

When EADS and the partner nations agreed to the outlines for a new contract - to deal with the billion euros in cost overruns - industry said partners could cut the planned buy of 180 units by 10 aircraft without pricing being affected. The U.K. decision to take three of those cuts leaves margin for others to do the same.

Germany, the largest A400M customer, for instance, has said it wants to reduce its total. Germany is on the books to take 60 A400Ms and, unless it breaks the spirit of the March agreement with industry, will remain the largest customer for the European airlifter.

France, the second largest customer and first country that will operate the A400M, has said it will stick to its buy of 50 aircraft.

The U.K. situation, of course, is somewhat different than many other A400M buyers, since London has plenty of airlift options, given it is a C-130J and C-17 operator. French and German airlift hopes are tied much more closely to the A400M.

[richelieu]

Lo A400M ritarda .....
..... e che fa la Francia?

Ordina 8 "tappabuchi" .....

Fonte: Defense Industry Daily

With A400M Delayed, France Beefs up CN-235 Fleet

05-Apr-2010 17:24 EDT

France is paying EUR 225 million (about $303 million) to add 8 more EADS-CASA CN-235 light transport aircraft to its existing fleet, in order to help the Armée de l’Air handle the country’s needs while the future A400M transport is delayed. The new aircraft will be manufactured in Spain, and delivered from 2011-2013.

French DGA [in French] .....
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/dga/votre_es ... vions_casa

Defense News .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i= ... =AIR&s=TOP

In addition to the delays created by A400M program cost growth and technical challenges, France will be receiving fewer A400Ms by 2020, in order to keep the program within existing budgets. With the air force’s Transall C-160s near the end of their useful life spans, and the existing fleet of 52 C-160s, 2 Airbus A310-304s, 14 aging but upgraded C-130H-30s, and 19 CN-235s able to meet just 25% of the airlift requirements set out in France’s defense white paper, stopgap solutions are clearly necessary.

Growing the CN-235 fleet to 27 is only a partial solution. France is expected to finalize plans for A330 MRTT aircraft in the near future, which add some cargo capacity in addition to their primary aerial refueling mission. There has been talk of advancing the delivery schedule for the A330s, and of making more use of leased aircraft under NATO’s SALIS (AN-124, IL-76) and SAC (C-17) programs.

[SuperMau]

Interessante....
soprattutto se veramente vogliono spingere e anticipare il 330 MRTT.... cosi mi tengo occupato un po

[FAS]

Dear All,

MSN02 has just taken off with success !
This is the result of our combined hard work on this A/C, a tremendous result for all of us but still the start of the A400M aventure!
Here are some pictures for you to remember this special moment !

[SuperMau]

Dear All,

MSN02 has just taken off with success !
This is the result of our combined hard work on this A/C, a tremendous result for all of us but still the start of the A400M aventure!
Here are some pictures for you to remember this special moment !

E' BELLO!!! poche balle....
Spero di poter andare quanto prima a Sevilla per vederlo dal vivo...e toccarlo.... uuuuuuhhhh gia' mi vengono i bridivi

[richelieu]

Dalla Gran Bretagna .....

DATE: 09/04/10
SOURCE: Flightglobal.com

Second A400M takes off

By Craig Hoyle


A second A400M has joined Airbus Military’s operational flight test fleet, and taken the delayed type past the 70 flight hour mark.

Piloted by Michel Gagneux, Karl-Heinz Mai and with three flight test engineers aboard, aircraft MSN002 completed a 4h 50min debut sorties from Seville, Spain on 8 April. Carrying heavy flight-test instrumentation, the aircraft got airborne with a take-off weight of 128t; 13t below the A400M’s expected maximum.

“The crew confirmed that the aircraft and its four Europrop International TP400D engines performed in line with expectations,” Airbus Military says.


© Airbus Military

“Having MSN002 join the flying programme will help us accelerate the rate of progress in building flight hours,” says head of flight operations Fernando Alonso.

The first of five flight test aircraft, MSN001, has now flown 15 times and spent over 66h in the air. The platform made its 3h 45min debut flight on 11 December last year and was recently moved to Toulouse, France.

MSN003 should fly “by the beginning of the summer”, according to the European manufacturer, with the fourth aircraft to follow suit around year-end.

[richelieu]

Dagli Stati Uniti .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: MSN2 Joins Flight Test Program (with video)

Posted by Robert Wall at 4/9/2010 3:09 AM CDT


The second A400M, MSN2, has now joined the flight test program. The aircraft missed the March target, but on April 8 completed a 4-hr, 50-min. flight from Seville, Spain, where the airlifter is assembled.

MSN3 was to join the flight test program next month, but Airbus Military now says that will happen "by the beginning of the summer." The fourth would join by year-end, which is still to plan (at least the flight test plan laid out just in advance of the December 11 first flight).

MSN1 has now logged 66-hr., 30-min of flight testing in 15 flights.

There is an interesting point to note in the Airbus Military release about yesterday's flight, specifically the statement that:"The crew confirmed that the aircraft and its four Europrop International TP400D turboprop engines performed in line with expectations." There was a sensor anomaly on MSN1's first flight, which caused the crew to throttle back power on one engine, something Airbus Military initially tried to brush under the carpet.

Here's a video Airbus Military has put out on yesterday's event:

[FAS]

Dagli Stati Uniti .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: MSN2 Joins Flight Test Program (with video)

.... There was a sensor anomaly on MSN1's first flight, which caused the crew to throttle back power on one engine, something Airbus Military initially tried to brush under the carpet.

sempre inopportuni....e pettegoli

vogliamo parlare di tutta la m e r d a che hanno sotto i loro tappeti (enti certificanti e di aeronavigabilità) dai tempi del 707 passando per il 777 e finendo al 7late7.....???

[richelieu]

FAS ha scritto:
..... sempre inopportuni....e pettegoli .....

E' la libertà d'informazione ..... bellezza .....

A parte gli scherzi .....
..... è sempre stato così ..... ognuno tira l'acqua al proprio mulino .....

Le testate di informazione aeronautica più importanti quali "Flight International" (UK), "Aviation Week & Space Technology" (USA) e "Air & Cosmos" (Francia) hanno sempre avuto la tendenza ad esaltare quanto veniva realizzato dalle rispettive industrie tentando, al tempo stesso, di sminuire i prodotti della concorrenza.
Che ci vuoi fare ?

[richelieu]

Costi ancora poco chiari e incertezza sul numero dei tagli .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

A400M Buyers Coping With New Schedule

By Douglas Barrie and Robert Wall
London (Apr 14, 2010)

As budget pressures mount in Europe, delays in the Airbus Military A400M are not turning into a windfall for other manufacturers, as the U.K. is signaling it will not buy additional gap-filler airlifters.

There are also mounting indications that it will be months before an agreement between industry and government is converted into a firm contract on the program’s multibillion-euro cost overrun and three years of delays. Germany is awaiting more data on unit cost, a German defense ministry official says, and the U.K.’s ability to sign up is curtailed by the general election campaign now underway. With the prospect of the May 6 vote resulting in a hung Parliament, London’s ability to fully commit to a new program plan may be limited for some time.

The Royal Air Force is not due to receive its first A400M until 2015, and its last C-130Ks are to be retired in 2012, so there were expectations London would augment its airlift capacity rather than let its tactical transport fleet dwindle to 24 Lockheed Martin C-130Js for several years. The Defense Ministry had explored extending the life of a handful of the remaining C-130Ks, as well as the option of leasing or acquiring a small number of additional C-130Js.

However, Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth now says that “we are maximizing tactical airlift capability by investing in a package of enhancement measures to maximize the use of the existing fleet of 24 Hercules C-130J. The completion of a second runway at Bastion, Helmand, in 2010 will also allow us to reduce tactical airlift tasking in theater. Through these investments, the [Defense Ministry] believes it can sustain anticipated intra-theater airlift tasking on current operations until A400M comes into service.”

Ainsworth also told Parliament at the end of last month that the purchase of a seventh C-17, previously announced, will provide more lift capacity. The Defense secretary said this aircraft will join the RAF fleet in March 2011.

The Defense Ministry does admit, however, that “beyond the support to current operations, we will be constrained in the ability to undertake tactical airlift tasks until A400M enters service. Although the small fleet size means that using the full tactical capabilities of the C-17 would lead to significant growth in support costs, it can be employed intra-theater on paved runways.”

The RAF has had to reduce the anticipated service life of some of its C-130Js by three years, to 2027 from 2030, as a result of higher operational utilization in a more demanding environments than anticipated.

And the in-service time line could be further curtailed as the C-130Js shoulder more of the lift burden of the retiring C-130Ks. One of the C-130Ks’ particularly demanding tasks is supporting U.K. special operations forces. The phase-out of the C-130K also is expected to increase maintenance demands on the remaining airlift fleet.

The “package of enhancements” alluded to by Ainsworth may include upgrade work specifically aimed at addressing special operations requirements.

The U.K. is meeting the cost increases of the A400M by reducing the number of aircraft it is buying to 22 from 25.

Germany is assessing whether will cut its A400M buy as well, but the U.K.’s decision to trim its purchase effectively limits the scope of a German reduction. The seven core A400M buying states (Germany, France, the U.K., Turkey, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg) agreed with industry in early March to provide another €2 billion ($2.7 billion) to cover increased program costs. They also agreed they would not reduce their total purchase commitment more than 10 units from the 180 planned airlifter procurement, so as to limit the impact on unit cost. A German defense ministry official says any cut to be made will avoid breaching that threshold.

Berlin is also exploring whether it can find a new funding mechanism that might allow it to buy the full commitment of 60 A400Ms, although the government first wants more information on unit costs. But Germany remains committed to participating in the €1.5-billion loan to industry that will be repaid through royalties on exports of the A400M.

There is less ambiguity in France, which has been pushing most aggressively to keep the A400M program going. Paris on April 1 announced a €225-million order for eight EADS CASA CN-235 airlifters to help provide capacity in the absence of the A400M. Delivery of the aircraft is expected to commence at the end of next year and wrap up by mid-2013, according to the DGA.

The French government has been operating CN-235s since 1993 and maintains a fleet of 19 of the small tactical transports. The newly ordered airlifters should offload work from and stretch the service lives of France’s current Transall C-160, Lockheed Martin C-130 and CN-235 transport fleet.

France will become the first A400M operator when its initial airlifter arrives in early 2013. France is paying roughly €1.3 billion extra for the A400M as a result of the latest agreement to cover cost overruns. That money includes the purchase of the CN-235s and France’s contribution to the industry loan.

Meanwhile, Airbus Military is pressing ahead with the A400M flight-test program. The second airlifter, MSN002, logged a 4-hr., 50-min. first flight on April 8, a month later than planned, in Seville, Spain, where the A400 final assembly site is located. MSN002 is heavily instrumented—but without the optional refueling probe on MSN001—and will be used for performance and engine-certification activities. It will be based in Seville and is scheduled to undergo 1,100 flight-test hours. The five-aircraft flight-test campaign, split between Toulouse and Seville, is planned to last 4,370 hr.

MSN003 should join flight-testing next month. It will be the first with slightly less instrumentation and is slated for 975 flight-test hours.

[87Nemesis87]

madonna ma non trovano pace sui costi

[richelieu]

madonna ma non trovano pace sui costi

L'è dura .....

[MarcoGT]

madonna ma non trovano pace sui costi

Non credo sia così semplice

[G-BOAB]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ElU8xA5eLw
Nando Alonso sui test dell'A400M.

[richelieu]

Qui si va (troppo) alle lunghe .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Contract Talks Are Slow Going

Posted by Robert Wall at 5/14/2010 10:23 AM CDT


Talks between industry and government to turn an agreement over how to handle the multi-billion-euro A400M cost overrun into a new contract are only progressing slowly.

EADS CFO Hans-Peter Ring says that after intense talks to get to the March deal, all sides decided to take a break. Talks have now resumed, but he acknowledges that while they are progressing, "we are not progressing at the pace we would like."

That's probably no surprise given the experience on other European programs, take your typical pace of negotiations when it comes to hammering out the various tranches of Eurofighter buys.

A400M flight testing also has been going more slowly than hoped, largely because of bad weather. But Airbus's chief of flight testing, Fernando Alonso, points out the moisture-sensitive strain gauges on the TP400D's propellers are about to be shed. That should allow the pace of flight trials to pick up.

What's more, he says the transport's handling is good and that the aircraft is showing very good stall characteristics. Good enough to probably allow the removal of a booster that had been installed in the tail in case the A400M entered a deep stall. The booster would have pushed up the tail to aid recovery.

Flutter testing is next on the agenda.

Meanwhile, the third A400M is due to commence flight trials next month.

[richelieu]

Via quei sensori dalle eliche !!!!! .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

A400M To Shed Gauges That Slow Flight Testing

May 12, 2010

By Robert Wall (BROUGHTON, Wales)


Moisture-sensitive strain gauges on the propellers of the A400M’s TP400D turboprop engines that have slowed flight testing will likely be removed soon, opening the door for an increase in the pace of flight trials.

The strain gauges are needed to measure stresses on the blades in flight. But because of poor weather at the primary flight test centers in Seville, Spain and Toulouse, the A400M in many cases could not fly, setting back the pace of flight trials.

But Fernando Alonso, the vice president in charge of Airbus flight testing, says the required blade stress measurements will be completed this week, allowing the sensors to be removed and eliminating the handicap.

Airbus Military, through April 30, had reached 32 A400M flights and 128 hours, split between 27 flights and 112 hours on MSN1 and five flights and 16 hours on MSN2. Flights now are close to 150 hours, Alonso says.

MSN3 is to join flight trials next month; it is the first with medium flight instrumentation — the first two are heavily instrumented. It is slated for around 705 flight test hours in the entire campaign. It will be mainly used for systems testing.

“The airplane flies very well,” Alonso says, with no surprises in aircraft handling and aerodynamics. Systems also have not shown any significant issues.

Airbus has been exploring stall characteristics, and so far Alonso says the aircraft recovers very well. There were concerns about deep stall, so Airbus has installed a rocket booster that would push the tail up to help recover, but it has not been needed so far. Airbus plans one more flight test on May 12, and if its results prove successful, the rocket could be removed this weekend. Airbus wants to eliminate the rocket because it adds weight and could constrict flutter testing. The flutter campaign is due to start this month.

Last week, the ramp and door were opened for the first time in flight at speeds of 120-200 knots.

[AlphaSierra]

il passaggio con la rear door aperta è stato SPETTACOLARE!!

[richelieu]

Chist'aereo è proprio 'nu babà .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

Update on A400M Test Flights

Posted by Christina Mackenzie at 5/20/2010 11:56 AM CDT


The first two A400Ms – MSN1 and MSN2 - have now flown 44 times for a total of 165 hours, reported chief test pilot Ed Strongman during a trade media briefing in Seville, southern Spain, yesterday.

Looking like an enthusiastic school-boy, Strongman remarked that “it's easier to fly this airplane than any of our other airplanes.” The flight test program is now moving ahead fast after being delayed a bit over the winter because of the extraordinarily bad weather in both Seville and Toulouse (in southern France). This affected in particular the propeller stress survey as the strain gauges on the propellers are not waterproof “so can't be done in cloud or rain,” he explained.

Strongman said there was “excellent news” from the stalling tests which had been undertaken with a rocket attached to the underbelly of the aircraft just in case they needed to boost the aircraft to regain lift to get out of a stall. They did not need it.

He said the aircraft banked beautifully to 120° although contractually the aircraft does not need to bank at more than 90°. “The aircraft performance and handling are very close to predictions and simulations,” he said noting that it has “outstanding handling characteristics throughout the flight envelope.”

Strongman is not the only pilot at the helm of this aircraft. “Every pilot who flies this has a smile on his face”, he remarked.

[AlphaSierra]

a breve le foto di msn2, EC402

[AlphaSierra]

La foto del passaggio con la ramp cargo door aperta
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Airbus-I ... 1709080/L/

[G-BOAB]

E' da tanto tempo che lavorano sull'A400M; può sembrare una stupidaggine quella che ho detto (anzi, la è ) ma me ne sono reso conto solo oggi quanto ho trovato un vecchio volantino sulla visita che feci alla airbus di tolosa più di 6 anni fa e parlano già dell'A400M.

Quest'estate, finita la maturità, spero di poterci tornare per tre giorni, rifare la "Taxiway" e visitare il Concorde

[JT8D]

Dal Portale:

http://www.md80.it/2010/05/30/airbus-de ... e-berlino/

Paolo

[SuperMau]

La mia azienda sara' presente, io ancora non lo so.....spero di si, cosi posso poi sparare una bella mitragliata di foto per tutti...!!

Incrociate le dita per me!

[richelieu]

Dopo Berlino ..... Fairford e Farnborough .....

DATE: 30/06/10
SOURCE: Flight International

EADS: A400M to spend four days at Farnborough show

By Craig Hoyle


With flight-test activities with its first two prototype A400Ms progressing well, EADS has decided to extend MSN001's attendance at the Farnborough air show to four days.

The company had previously restricted its plans to displaying the A400M on only the first two days of the Farnborough show, with the transport to arrive immediately after participating in the Royal International Air Tattoo on 17 and 18 July.

But with the type having made a successful public debut at the Berlin air show in June (below) and discussions on a new contract ongoing with its seven European customer nations, EADS says MSN001 will now spend four days at Farnborough before returning to its flight-test activities from Toulouse, France.


© BillyPix


© Airbus Military

The organisers of the 19-25 July Farnborough air show also list the Airbus Military C-295 as due to be on static display. On the commercial side, Airbus is listed as having committed to send an A380 and A330-200 freighter to the event.

[alessio93v]

Stupendo!

[richelieu]

Ed ora sono tre .....

DATE: 09/07/10
SOURCE: Flightglobal.com

Third A400M takes to the air

By Craig Hoyle

Airbus Military has enjoyed two notable firsts in its A400M programme, with the debut flight of development aircraft MSN003 having been achieved while its first two aircraft were also airborne.

Flown from the company's San Pablo final assembly site near Seville, Spain, MSN003 took off at 13:57 local time with a crew of five, including experimental test pilots Tony Flynn and Francois Barre.

"The addition of MSN3 to the fleet is great news, and will let us push ahead even more rapidly with the flying programme," says Airbus head of flight operations Fernando Alonso.


© Airbus Military

As of 9 July, the A400M test fleet had logged 100 test flights and a combined 400 flight hours, the EADS company says. This represents continued steady progress since last month's Berlin air show, where MSN001 made its show debut after around 250h had been amassed by the fleet.

Airbus Military will have five test aircraft available by mid-2011, with these required to fly a combined total of 3,700h during development testing of the A400M. The transport is expected to enter service around late 2012, following a delivery delay of around three years.

Carrying a medium instrumentation load, MSN003 will be dedicated to tasks including proving the A400M's autopilot and navigation systems. The aircraft will be assigned to test duties conducted from Airbus's Toulouse site in France.

MSN001 will arrive in the UK on 16 July ahead of its weekend participation in the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The aircraft will then take part in the daily flying display at the Farnborough air show from 19-22 July.

[richelieu]

Questa volta AW&ST si è beccata il "buco" .....

..... infatti "Flight International" aveva già dato la notizia tre giorni fa .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

Third A400M Development Aircraft Takes Flight

By Douglas Barrie (Jul 12, 2010)


LONDON — The third Airbus Military A400M development aircraft, MSN3, took off for the first time at 13:57 (11:57 GMT) July 9 from the Seville manufacturing site in Spain.

The same day Airbus Military clocked up its 100th test flight on the A400M, with the aircraft now having reached the 400-flight-hour mark.

The third A400M was flown by Tony Flynn, supported by François Barre. Both are test pilots with Airbus.

Five aircraft eventually will be involved in the flight test program, which is due to total 3,700 hr.

MSN3 is the first aircraft to carry a medium flight-test instrumentation load instead of the heavy test fit of the first two A400Ms. The third aircraft will be used mainly for auto-flight, systems and route-proving developments.

The fourth aircraft is presently due to join the flight test program toward the end of the year, with the fifth in mid-2011.

[richelieu]

I sogni son desideri .....

..... un futuro nell'USAF? .....

DATE: 18/07/10
SOURCE: Flight Daily News (flightglobal.com)

FARNBOROUGH: Gallois confident of US interest in A400M

By Murdo Morrison


EADS says unprecedented levels of interest in the Airbus Military A400M by the US military community here at the show raises the likelihood of a breakthrough deal in the USA.

Speaking at an EADS media seminar on the eve of the show, Sean O'Keefe, chief executive of EADS North America, said Pentagon chiefs are "very attracted to the versatility" of the European airlifter, which is making its Farnborough debut.

"There is an undeniable gap in airlift capacity [in the USA] from the middle of this decade, which happens to coincide with when A400M production rates accelerate," he says.


© APG Photography

"The number of US defence officials who have requested to see the A400M at Farnborough is at record levels."

However, before EADS looks at exports, it must focus on its domestic market, where a deal to save the long-delayed programme was agreed in March between Airbus Military and its partner goverments, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK.

Although final details of the refinancing package have to be agreed, EADS chief executive Louis Gallois says the agreement is secure in principle, despite the spending squeeze in most of these countries, and he expects a final contract - originally set for July - by "fall".

"We are in a new climate with budget constraints but we are in intense negotiations within the frame of the agreement settled in March. Nobody is saying to us they will pull out or they will cut in half their order, even if I read this in the newspapers," he says.

Airbus Military's third A400M development aircraft made its first flight on 9 July from the manufacturer's San Pablo final assembly site near Seville, Spain. MSN003's debut pushed the programme through 100 test flights and 400 flight hours since December.

Prior to its arrival at Farnborough, test aircraft MSN001 visited the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire, its future UK home, and the weekend's Royal International Air Tattoo.

Meanwhile, Gallois is confident the KC-X contest between Boeing and EADS to supply a new fleet of tankers for the US Air Force will be "fair". A winner is due to be announced towards the end of the year, after new bids were submitted by both rivals this month.

"We have been very impressed," says Gallois. "The Pentagon is sticking to fair and professional processes."

EADS is targeting $10 billion in US revenues by 2020, up from $1.2 billion today. However, while Gallois says winning the tanker contest would "enhance" the chances of achieving that goal, he believes "we could do it without KC-X".

[87Nemesis87]

bah...mi sembra molto improbabile...comunque io lo spero

[richelieu]

Il suo nome è ..... "Grizzly" .....
..... almeno per ora .....

A400M prototype Bears a new name

By: Chris Pocock (sito: AINonline.com)
July 20, 2010

So the A400M is now named the Grizzly. Or is it? Upon closer investigation, yesterday’s christening ceremony may not have conferred a definitive moniker on Europe’s new airlifter. Airbus Military spokeswoman Barbara Kracht told AIN that the bearish name applies only to the flight test aircraft. For the moment.
“Maybe it will become official, eventually,” she said.

..... ..... ..... ..... .....

Anyway, what’s wrong with Liftmaster, the name for the A400M that was suggested by now-retired Airbus Military marketing manager David Jennings?
No one that AIN spoke to last night even liked the name Grizzly.
We think that should give Airbus Military paws for thought.

http://www.a400m.com/PressRelease/tabid ... izzly.aspx