| Airbus A400M | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Artist's impression of the A400M, in German Luftwaffe livery. | |
| Role | Long-range military transport |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Military |
| First flight | 11 December 2009[1] |
| Status | In development/flight testing |
| Unit cost | approx. €136 million[2][3] |
The Airbus A400M is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military to replace or supplement aircraft used in the tactical airlifter role.[4] The A400M was originally ordered by nine nations;[5][6] however, the South African order was cancelled in November 2009.[7] The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for early 2008, took place on 11 December 2009.[1]
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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 Transall C-160.[4] 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 Super Hercules. With the addition of Alenia of Italy and CASA of Spain the FIMA group became Euroflag.
The A400M is positioned as an intermediate size between the Lockheed C-130, and the Boeing C-17. 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 with the PW180 and Europrop International answered; the latter was a new design. Airbus Military preferred the PWC engine, but political interference resulted in the selection of the Europrop TP400-D6 in May 2003.[8]
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 the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (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 Saab Aerostructures receiving a contract for fuselage components.
The A400M assembly at the Seville plant of EADS Spain started in Q1 2007. Airbus plans to manufacture thirty aircraft per year.[9] The major assemblies arrive by Airbus Beluga transporters. The four Europrop TP400-D6 flight test engines were delivered in late February 2008 for the first A400M.[10] Static structural testing of a A400M test airframe began on 12 March 2008 in Spain.[11]
The first test flight, originally scheduled for Q1 2008, was postponed due to program delays, schedule adjustments and financial pressures. EADS announced in early January 2008 that continued development problems with the engines had resulted in a delay to Q2 2008 before the first engine test flights on a C-130 testbed aircraft. The first flight of the aircraft, previously scheduled for July 2008, had again been postponed. Civil certification under European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-25 will be followed later by certification for military purposes. The A400M was "rolled out" in Seville on 26 June 2008 at an event presided by King Juan Carlos I of Spain.[12]
In December 2004, South Africa announced it would purchase eight A400Ms at a total cost of approximately €800 million, with the nation joining the Airbus Military team as an industrial partner. Deliveries were expected from 2010 to 2012.[13][14] Then on 3 April 2009 the South African Air Force announced that it would start considering alternatives to the A400M due to postponed production and increased cost.[15] On 5 November 2009 the government announced it was cancelling the order citing increased cost and delays in delivery.[7] A government spokesman claimed that the cost had escalated to R 40 billion (approximately US$5 billion) from R 17 billion (approximately US$2 billion) if they had gone ahead with the order.
On 18 July 2005, the Chilean Air Force signed a Memorandum of understanding for three aircraft to be delivered between 2018 and 2022.[16] But the order was cancelled after new elections.
On 8 December 2005, the Royal Malaysian Air Force ordered four A400Ms and will continue to operate its aging fleet of 15 C-130s until they are not economically feasible to do so.[17][18]
Airbus Military made a bid in 2006 to supply Canada with the A400M to meet a tender request for 17 new tactical airlifters to replace their old CC-130E models.[19] The Canadians ordered four C-17 Globemaster IIIs and 17 C-130J Super Hercules instead.[20]
Airbus acknowledged in 2009 that the program is expected to lose at least 2.4 billion euros and cannot break even without sales outside NATO countries.[8] A PricewaterhouseCoopers audit of the program projected that it would run €11.2 billion over budget unless corrective measures were taken, which would result in an overrun of only €7.6 billion.[21]
In 2009 the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command requested information on the A400M and the company responed with a proposal for 118 A400Ms.[22]
On 9 January 2009, EADS announced that the first delivery has been postponed until at least 2012. EADS also indicated that it wants to renegotiate "certain technical characteristics" of the aircraft.[23] EADS has long maintained the first deliveries would begin three years after the A400M's first flight. The German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland has closely followed the A400M program and reported on 12 January 2009 that the aircraft is overweight by 12 tons and may not be able to achieve a critical performance requirement, the ability to airlift 32 tons. Sources told FTD at the time that the aircraft could only lift 29 tons, which is insufficient to carry a modern armored infantry fighting vehicle.[24] The FTD report prompted the chief of the German Air Force to say, "That is a disastrous development," and could delay deliveries to the Luftwaffe until 2014.[25] The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Luftwaffe is delayed at least until 2017. This leads the political planning to potential alternatives in the shape of a higher integration of European airlift capabilities.[26] The OCCAR reminded the participating countries that they can terminate the contract before 31 March 2009.[27] On 29 March 2009, Airbus CEO Thomas Enders told Der Spiegel magazine that the program may need to be abandoned without changes.[28]
In June 2009, Lockheed Martin said that both United Kingdom and France had asked for technical details on the C-130J as an alternative to the A400M.[29] On 12 June, The New York Times reported that Germany and France have delayed the decision whether or not to cancel their orders for another 6 months, while the UK still plans to decide at the end of June. The NYT also quotes a report to the French Senate from February 2009, according to which "the A400M is €5 billion over budget, 3 to 4 years behind schedule, [...] aerospace experts estimate it is also costing Airbus between €1 billion and €1.5 billion a year."[30]
The shortage of military transports caused by the A400M delay forced the U.K. to lease, and subsequently purchase, six C-17s. France and Germany have also been considering other planes, as all three countries need to support their operations in Afghanistan.[31]
On 24 July 2009, the seven European nations announced that they would continue with the A400M program, and form a joint procurement agency to renegotiate the contract with EADS.[32][33] The ministers of the seven European launch customers were supposed to meet 15 October 2009 in Germany to approve a new timetable, configuration and financial terms for the A400M airlifter.[34] On 14 October 2009, French Ministry of Defense spokesman Laurent Teisseire, announced this meeting had been postponed.[35]
On 9 December 2009, the Financial Times reported that Airbus has asked for an additional €5bn subsidy to complete the project.[36] On 5 January 2010, Airbus told Financial Times again that the A400M program may be scrapped, costing Airbus €5.7bn unless €5.3bn is added by partner governments.[37]
On 11 January 2010, Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, informed BBC World that he is prepared to cancel production of the A400M if European governments do not provide more funding. Delays to the A400M project have already increased its budget by 25%.[38] It has now been announced that the project will still go ahead.[39]
Before the first flight, the company obtained the required hours of airborne test time on the engines using a C-130 testbed aircraft.[40][41] The first flight of the C-130 testbed occurred on 17 December 2008.[42]
The first flight of A400M was carried out from Seville on 11 December 2009.[1] As of 9th of march 2010 the A400m has flown more than 40 hours, 2nd A400m is planned to fly in march 2010. [43]
The Airbus A400M will increase the airlift capacity and range compared with 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. The cargo box is 17.71 m long excluding ramp, 4.00 m wide, and 3.85 m high. The height is 4.00 m aft of the wing and the ramp is 5.40 m long.
The Airbus A400M will operate in many configurations including cargo transport, troop transport, Medical evacuation, aerial refuelling, and electronic surveillance.
The cockpit features a fly-by-wire flight control system with sidestick controllers and flight envelope protection. Like Airbus' other aircraft, the A400M will have a full glass cockpit (all information accessed through large colour screens) and as such will represent a technological leap compared to the older C-130s and C-160s that many countries now operate.
The A400M's wings are primarily carbon fibre reinforced plastic. The eight-bladed Scimitar propeller is also made from a woven composite material. It is powered by four Europrop TP400-D6 engines rated at 8,250 kW (11,000 hp) each[44], which are the second most powerful turboprop engines ever produced.
The propellers on each wing of the A400M turn in opposite directions, with the tips of the propellers advancing from above towards the midpoint between the two engines. This is in contrast to the overwhelming majority of multi-engine propeller driven aircraft where all propellers on the same wing turn in the same direction. The counter-rotation is achieved by the use of a gearbox fitted to two of the engines, and only the propeller turns the opposite direction; all four engines are identical and turn in the same direction which eliminates the need to have two different "handed" engines on stock for the same aircraft, which simplifies maintenance and supply costs. This configuration has been dubbed DBE (Down Between Engines), it allows the aircraft to produce more lift and lessens the torque and prop wash on each wing. It also reduces yaw in the event of an outboard engine failure.[45]
EADS and Thales will provide the new Multi-Colour Infrared Alerting Sensor (MIRAS) missile warning sensor for the A400M.[46][47]
| Date | Country | Orders | Entry into Service Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 2003 |  Germany |
60 | not available |
 France |
50 | not available | |
 Spain |
27 | not available | |
 United Kingdom |
25 | not available | |
 Turkey |
10 | not available | |
 Belgium |
7 | not available | |
 Luxembourg |
1 | not available | |
| 15 December 2004 |  South Africa |
0 | Order for eight cancelled in 2009[7] |
| 8 December 2005 |  Malaysia |
4[17] | not available |
| Total: | 184 |
Data from Airbus Military specifications[48]
General characteristics
Performance
Comparable aircraft
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   | MachineDesign article on A400M - Giving soldiers a high-tech leg up | Machine Design |
| | Airlift Capability Project - Tactical - Letter of Interest (LOI) Abstract: Airlift Capability Project - Tactical |
| | A400M program suppliers - Airbus A400M - program supplier guide |
| | Lockheed wins $4.9B contract: Tories quietly pick U.S. aerospace giant to replace Hercules - Lockheed wins $4.9B contract |
| | Airforce-Technology.com page on A400M - A400M (Future Large Aircraft) Tactical Transport Aircraft - Air Force Technology |
| | MoD pins hopes on Boeing C17 amid Airbus doubts - Times Online | News and Views from The Times and Sunday Times |
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