A400M Rollout

[Haletown]

they haven't announced the actual day/date.

Last month they said this:

"A400M test-flight schedule under strain: EADS head

(AFP) - The timing of a test flight for the Airbus A400M military plane, currently planned for this summer, is coming under strain, the executive head of Airbus parent EADS warned on Monday. 'Our objective is still to have a first flight this summer even if we must acknowledge that it's becoming more and more under pressure, notably because of the engine,' EADS chief executive Louis Gallois told a press conference. 'The plane is complicated, the engine is complicated "

So summer '08 gives them until mid September_ish

 

[geo]

Umm... Mid septemberish of.... which year ?

Let's face it, the engines are a massive undertaking... not something you want to rush.

 

[Haletown]

2008 . . . . just a few months from now.

We shall see.

 

[ArmyRick]

Rollout? When does it do its "Flyout". Ok, all kidding aside, has this thing actually flown yet?

 

[Haletown]

The A400M aircraft has not flown yet.  As far as I know, the engines mounted on the aircraft have never been started while attached to an A400M.

The C130 engine testbed aircraft has also not flown yet.

As far as I can tell, the C130 testbed aircraft has had it's test engine running, but only while the aircraft is held motionless.  I have not heard of any taxi tests, at any speed or any flight tests.


Tick, tock.

 

[Haletown]

The latest news from EADS at Farnborough

"Initial ground tests of the Airbus Military A400M's TP400-D6 engine with a flying testbed have resulted in "no issues at all", says Europrop International vice-president Jacques Desclaux. A fourth run is expected in the UK on 18 July."

rtr @  http://tinyurl.com/6oo85f

 

[Haletown]

RUMINT . . .  for now anyway

"The maiden flight of the A400M military transport aircraft could be postponed to this autumn.

The maiden flight of the A400M military transport aircraft could be postponed to this autumn. The programme reportedly accumulates persistent technical issues. Les Echos

Tags: A400M, Airbus"


http://tinyurl.com/5rlmeh

 

[OldSolduer]

Interesting that Airbus would sue the Canadian government for not choosing their plane. It hasn't even flown yet.

 

[Haletown]

found the original article  . . .  http://tinyurl.com/64emry.

This is big stuff . . FADEC software is seriously complex



Google translation . . .

The first flight of the A400M risk of slipping in the fall
[ 02/06/08  - 19H53  - actualisé à 19:53:00  ] [02/06/08 - 19H53 - updated 19:53:00]
Augmenter la taille du texte

. Scheduled for early June, the flight of the Hercules C-130 designed to test the engine aircraft of the future European military transport, is postponed to mid-July at best. A cela s'ajoutent de gros problèmes de logiciels. In addition, major problems of software.

The clouds accumulate on the A400M. Scheduled for these days, the flight of the Hercules C-130 of the British company Marshall Aerospace equipped with an engine TP400 will certainly be delayed a month or a month and a half. . The aircraft had already suffered a great visit.. But to make matters worse, it accumulates over the past month a series of technical problems which clouent ground.

Last avatar to date, the starter pneumatic valve closes after being activated! . The bench test flying ( "FTB" in English) engine aircraft of the future European military transport is thus set for the moment. ". "The C-130 should not be able to take off until mid or late July," says one source close.

Meanwhile here in Toulouse, at Airbus Military, the company in charge of the A400M program, s'arrache hair. . The latest version of "Fadec", the software that controls the engine and propellers developed by the German MTU, is considered "unacceptable". . Result, a letter was sent to OCCAR * representing seven countries customers of the aircraft to prevent the first flight is postponed to August 31 "with two months of risk", on July 31 against with three risk up there.

The accumulation of concerns strengthens the hypothesis of a first flight in the fall, then officially, EADS has set yet as the summer deadline. In doing so, the group Aeronautic Defence and European approaches ten months of delay, and therefore the obligation to pay penalties.

The only consolation, benches static of TP400 will have more time to run the tests. . So far, 1500 hours were achieved without major detect seed, ensures there within EPI, the consortium responsible for developing the engine and which includes french Snecma, Rolls Royce British, German MTU and Spanish ITP.

Alain Ruello Alain Ruello

* Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d'Armement * Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation in Matter of Weaponry

 

[Haletown]

more news  . . .  doesn't really say much but the strain on the program schedule just gets worse  . . . . 

http://tinyurl.com/5g3yhw

"Software, engine failures threaten A400M schedule
By Max Kingsley-Jones

The Airbus Military A400M is facing further challenges to its flight-test campaign, following two engine-related issues encountered during ground trials.

Airbus executive vice-president programmes Tom Williams says there have been "a couple of failures" of the Europrop International TP400-D6 engine during ground testing, including engine No 5 during water ingestion trials and engine No 6, which suffered a "gearbox problem"."

 

[Haletown]

OOPSIE !!  As predicted

Looks like another deadline in another schedule has gone bye-bye.

"A400M schedule at risk as key engine test slips to October
By Craig Hoyle

Airbus Military's A400M will miss EADS's targeted "summer" first flight objective, with industry and military sources now indicating that vital sorties using a modified Lockheed Martin C-130 transport in the UK are unlikely to take place before next month."

http://tinyurl.com/55lobv


And  Airbus wanted us to buy these instead of 17's &  J Hercs.

 

[geo]

Heh... we can always think of buying them once the C17s ahd CC130Js are ready for retirement >

 

[tomahawk6]

EADS is threatening their customers now. ;D

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3734593&c=EUR&s=AIR

EADS May Freeze A400M Production for 7 Countries

BERLIN - Aerospace giant EADS has threatened to freeze production of its Airbus subsidiary's flagship military airlifter if clients do not drop penalty clauses for late delivery, a German news report said Sept. 20.

Der Spiegel weekly, trailing its Sept. 22 publication, cited a letter sent by Louis Gallois, the French chief executive of both companies, to the governments of seven countries who have ordered the A400M plane.

In the letter, Gallois is quoted as saying the military carrier is "a heavy lossmaker" that is creating "considerable difficulties" at EADS, weighing down on the group's financial performance.

The "anticipated profits" from 180 orders on Airbus' books have already been "invested," with Gallois adding in the letter that the present position could become "untenable" within months unless a deal is agreed that "keeps everyone happy."

EADS wants clients to waive their contractual right to reductions in their bills due to late delivery, but Der Spiegel said Germany's defense ministry would be "standing firm," and Berlin is of the view that "financial concessions" should only be discussed upon receipt of the planes.

Business daily Financial Times Deutschland also reported this week that Gallois sent a letter pleading for "understanding" on the A400M.

Last week, Gallois said the plane's first flight would take place "before the end of the year," but the French press reported soon afterward that costs had risen astronomically and that the first flight was being put back to 2009.

Germany has ordered 60 A400Ms, making it the biggest customer.

Airbus has been struggling with four important delay announcements having been made since 2006 on delivery of its A380 superjumbo civil airliners.

 

[Good2Golf]

....The "anticipated profits" from 180 orders on Airbus' books have already been "invested,"....

What the heck does that mean?  ???  Without any deposits paid, what revenue at all could be recieved from which "profits" could be redirected to other business lines?

 

[tomahawk6]

So much for customer service.

 

[Kirkhill]

What the heck does that mean?  ???   Without any deposits paid, what revenue at all could be recieved from which "profits" could be redirected to other business lines?

Would that mean that the "anticipated transfer price",  the price which all those Euro Air Forces have budgeted for their bulk buys, has been exceeded?  Meaning one of two things - government bailout or dead project.

 

[TCBF]

Would that mean that the "anticipated transfer price",  the price which all those Euro Air Forces have budgeted for their bulk buys, has been exceeded?  Meaning one of two things - government bailout or dead project.

- Lets find out where Boeing Corporate HQ is and go crash the wild party that must be in progress at the moment.

 

[Kirkhill]

- Lets find out where Boeing Corporate HQ is and go crash the wild party that must be in progress at the moment.

You think in suitably bizarre non-patterns earthling...... ;D

 

[Haletown]

More not good news.

"The Europrop TP400 engine that has been fitted to a C-130 testbed at Cambridge, UK, by Marshall Aerospace ran at full power for the first time last week. But unanticipated problems integrating the 11,000-shp powerplant on the C-130 have further delayed the A400M program.

AIN understands that the problems have included vibration in the fuselage from the eight-blade propellers, and the need to protect the C-130’s rear wing and flap from the much greater heat produced by the TP400. The testbed engine replaces the aircraft’s port inboard 5,000-shp T56 turboprop.

In the 14 weeks since the TP400 was first ground-run on the C-130, only six hours have been logged. Program officials previously said that 30 hours of ground running would be required before the testbed could fly, and 50 hours of flight time would be required before the A400M could make its first flight.

The testbed is unlikely to fly before mid-November, a source told AIN. EADS CEO Louis Gallois said last week that the first flight of Europe’s new military transport could still take place by year-end.

  http://tinyurl.com/3w4rxf


  And there is still the hint of a story that won't go away about major issues with the FADEC software.  If theses stories are even partly true, they are fekked . . .  FADEC is software sooooooooooo complicated and difficult to troubleshoot.

Especially if you are trying to mate it with an engine still under development.

I'm sticking with my prediction of March 2009 first flight of the A400m

 

[tomahawk6]

I think it wont be anytime before April 2010.