Airbus A400M Medium-Range Transport Aircraft

The Airbus A400M is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities.The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in Seville, Spain.

The A400M is undergoing flight testing. Orders totaled 174 aircraft from eight nations as of 2010. Airbus Military is expected to deliver the first aircraft in early 2013

The project began as the Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA) group, set up in 1982 by Aérospatiale, British Aerospace (BAe), Lockheed, and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) to develop a replacement for the C-130 Hercules and Transall C-160.[7] 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 (RFP) in April 2002, after 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.

The partner nations -- France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Belgium, and Luxembourg -- signed an agreement in May 2003 to buy 212 aircraft.[citation needed] 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.

Into production
The A400M assembly at the Seville plant of EADS Spain started in the first quarter of 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 were delivered in late February 2008 for the first A400M. Static structural testing of a A400M test airframe began on 12 March 2008 in Spain.

The first flight, originally scheduled for the first quarter of 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 the second quarter of 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. On 12 January 2011, serial production of the A400M for its first customers started.

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Autos & Vehicles

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• carrie
• boeing

[concorde232]

airbus are copying boeing.

a320 looks like the 737

a330 looks like the 777

a340 looks like the 707

a350 looks like the 787

a380 has two decks like the 747

a400 looks like the C-17

a320 neo looks like the 737 MAX

there looking at boeings planes then trying to make a better version of it!

[beaggyboy]

w/ the kind of tech U have,alteration 2 d original wing dezyn is but a walk in the park s they say,d only prohibition being only cost & bzyds frm the luks of ,it,duznt evn require wing reengineering,I tink maybe it can evn acomodate fanjets w rework on hardpoints area in2 pylons.In the case of STOL,pitch capable inboard pylons dat tilt engines upwards a certain small degri may perhaps aid STO taxying & the evr familiar Thrust Reversers shall reduce landing runs,maybe dats a solution 2 the delays

[beaggyboy]

all propfan produces the less than desired speed required 2 cover the farthest possible range & at a shortest given time.tho dis is not related 2 fuel consumption s jets r fuel guzzlers,drinks quickly,needs replenishing mor often,tho fan maybe mor economical,its slow,covers less distance,requires mor fuel 2 continue,both comes 2 almos de same,but frm noise stand-point,Hi-bypass turbofans of today is clearly mor advantageous s it is so silent,Airbus Co.shud make A400 in2 a fanjet transporter

[beaggyboy]

features & figures r all very impresiv,but therein lies itz closest competitor d Illyushin IL76 wic tho already 40 yrs ol,figures r evn marginaly mor impresiv,the only problem w/ it,simply being itz n ol dezyn,yester type metals,vry hands-on,other than auto-pilot, it has no automational features & here is where d 400M is advantagez,where tho cabin crew r fewer,yet works equaly s efectiv but the rationale of still carrying-on w/ propfan over ducted fanjets is anybody's guess,wic givs betta thrust

[ddioppp]

i hate that music

[TheTrueRandomness]

"defensive aids" ....to show flares/decoys as a 'feature' for a military aircraft is coming very close to putting 'wings' in a feature list...