European Aircraft Industry: Military Airbus A400M achieves first military standard acceptance

Airbus A400 Military Transport

Today the Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter has received its Type Acceptance at the contractual Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) Standard from OCCAR, the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, on behalf of the Launch Nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom). It represents a historic milestone of the A400M programme after 10 years of development and more than 5,000 flight test hours.

This first military standard acceptance is the last step prior to the aircraft acceptance of MSN7, the first serial aircraft, by the French Defence Procurement Agency DGA and its subsequent delivery to the French Air Force in the coming days.

The common basis for Military certification was approved on 19 July following a recommendation by representatives of the seven launch nations known as the Certification and Qualification Committee (CQC). And Airbus Military accordingly received on 24 July the Military Type Certificate (Certificat de Type) for A400M aircraft from DGA. 


Read more: EADS : Airbus Military A400M achieves first military standard acceptance through Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) | 4-Traders

Aircraft Industry: Turkey to receive first Airbus A400M transport plane next year

A400M military transport

Turkey is to receive its first A400M aircraft, designed and built by an international consortium with the country’s participation, next year, Hürriyet newspaper reported yesterday.

The A400M, a military transport aircraft designed by Airbus, will bring strategic power to the Turkish military with its long range and high capacity. The giant aircraft features four engines, developed by Rolls Royce and MTU, and has a capacity of 37 tons.

A400M’s have a cruising altitude of 13,300 meters and a ferry range of 8,700 kilometers. The most important feature of the aircraft is its ability to take off on a 750-meter air strip with a load of 25 tons.

Airbus has made an offer to Turkey to open a regional maintenance center for A400M’s in the country. The company targets a market of 1,000 A400M’s in the next 20 years. In a separate move Airbus offered Turkey the opportunity to participate in building the Beluga EX, another giant transportation aircraft.

For more: ECONOMICS - Turkey to receive first A400M plane next year

Aircraft Industry: EADS confident A400M will be a success

European defense giant EADS is confident it can turn around its troubled Airbus A400 military transporter program by selling up to 500 of the planes.

"We see a broad global market of 400 to 500 aircraft with good chances for this aircraft to turn profits in the long term," the company's Chief Finance Officer Hans-Peter Ring told the Germany-based Euro am Sonntag weekly.

For more: EADS confident A400M will be a success - UPI.com

Aircraft Industry: Airbus Military looks to India for A400M Grizzly airlifter

European aerospace major EADS is on the verge of bringing into markets its new A400M Grizzly to compete in Indian military proposals for inducting giant airlifters to boost its strategic reach.

Didier Vernet, Head of A400M Market Development, Airbus Military, said the European consortium is looking to increase sales of the multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft outside Europe, particularly to "the lucrative Indian defense market".

He said Airbus Military is looking beyond the continent for new business as it inches ahead to ink a final agreement among the launch nations -- France, Germany, Spain, the UK, Turkey, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Currently 180 aircraft are ordered by the seven launch nations, with an additional four from Malaysia.

For more: Airbus Military looks to India for A400M Grizzly airlifter

Aircraft Industry - Over 1,300 Exhibitors from 38 Countries @ Farnborough Airshow 2010

Farnborough International Airshow opens today (Monday, 19 August 2010), for the 47th internationally acclaimed airshow where trade customers can discover the latest technological innovations and members of the public can witness great aviation in action.With over 1,300 exhibitors from 38 countries, the airshow, organised by Farnborough International, is the one of the world’s largest temporary exhibitions covering 247 acres with anticipated attendance of 250,000 visitors from around the globe.

Airbus will present in-flight demonstrations of its two flagships, the A400M and the A380. The A380, the world’s most modern and eco-efficient passenger aircraft in service today, will fly every day whilst the A400M will demonstrate its versatility and manoeuvrability from Monday to Thursday.

For more: Over 1,300 Exhibitors from 38 Countries @ Farnborough Airshow 2010 19 August 2010)

Germany praises deal on financing of Airbus A400M

Germany's Defense Minister is praising the agreement on the financing of the troubled Airbus A400M military transport plane as "good news."  Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told broadcaster MDR on Saturday the deal will close a gap in crucial military equipment and secure many jobs in the German industry.

The A400M is to replace Germany's aging fleet of Transall transport planes, whose increasing maintenance costs Guttenberg called "exorbitant." "This is good news, especially as it helps secure many jobs," Guttenberg added.

The seven nations that ordered the A400M and manufacturer EADS struck a deal on the financing on Friday in Berlin.

For More:Germany praises deal on financing of Airbus A400M - BusinessWeek

Future of Airbus A400M is safe for now

A tentative agreement has been reached in the fight over additional financing for the much-delayed military transport plane A400M, the Spanish defense minister said on Wednesday.

"We reached an agreement in principle between the seven nations in the project and EADS," said Carme Chacon, referring to the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, parent company of A400M manufacturer Airbus. "The Airbus project will be a success for Europe."

Chacon did not give any details as to how the countries would resolve the financing dispute surrounding the late and over-budget project, but added that more information would be released on Thursday, following an EU defense meeting in Mallorca.

For more: Future of Airbus A400M is safe for now | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 24.02.2010

Airbus A400M partners reach financing deal

European governments have struck an outline deal with Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA) over a rescue package worth 3.5 billion euros ($4.76 billion) to save the A400M military transporter, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Under the deal, the group of purchasing nations -- which also include Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain -- have agreed to a roughly 10 percent increase in the price of each plane for a total boost of 2 billion euros.

A further 1.5 billion will be made available in such a way that EADS can set this sum, as well as the core aid of 2 billion, against A400M losses and thus reduce the amount of provisions it needs to take in 2009 results, the source said.

Formore: Airbus A400M partners reach financing deal -source | Reuters

France Hopes for Deal on Military Plane this week

France hopes that Airbus and the seven governments which ordered the A400M military transport plane can agree new financing terms to save the troubled program by the end of the week, the defense minister said Monday.

Herve Morin told journalists that the positions of the seven countries — Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey — and Airbus parent company EADS appear to be converging. "As it stands today we have the perspective in our minds to reach an agreement by the end of the week," he said.

The advanced and ultra sophisticated four-engine turboprop is seen as occupying an important niche market between the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, which carries only half the payload, and Boeing's C-17 Globemaster III, which is larger, costlier, and less tactically versatile. Once in full production this aircraft is expected to become a top seller for Airbus.

France Hopes for Deal on Military Plane This Week - ABC News

Airbus A400m best military transport on the market today needs initial financial support

European aircraft maker Airbus pressed governments on Tuesday to open their wallets to save the troubled A400M military plane project, warning that the company's viability depended on it. Airbus has 52,000 employees, with some 10,000 working on the A400M project.

"We should not accept the situation and continue this stupidity that could seriously jeopardise Airbus and its commercial competitiveness," Enders said. Developing the high-tech A400M transport planes has proved much more costly and time-consuming than anticipated when the project was agreed in 2003 by NATO members Germany, Spain, France, Britain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg. The A400, however, is considered the best transport and most advanced aircraft presently available and is expected to become a top seller once it is on the market.

So far a total of 180 aircraft have been ordered for about 20 billion euros (29 billion dollars) but clients are being asked to plough in more to cover unexpected costs and some countries have voiced unease about the extra costs.

For the complete report go to: AFP: Airbus warns military plane failure threatens company

WSJ: Airbus A400M Transporter Plane Nears Takeoff - by Daniel Michaels

Huge demand for the new Airbus A400 Transport aircraft

For the complete report from the WSJ.com click on this link

Airbus aims to get its troubled A400M military transporter airborne for the first time as soon as next week. The A400M is one of Europe's most ambitious defense projects. Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. agreed in May 2003 with seven countries from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to build 180 of the planes for €20 billion ($30 billion). Both sides hailed the deal as a model of Europe's integration and a sign of European savvy in the cutthroat aerospace industry. EADS promised to deliver the first A400M this year and swallow any budget overruns. The pan-European defense-procurement agency Occar, which is representing the seven governments in contract talks with EADS, has hired PriceWaterhouse Coopers to audit the program so defense officials can better understand the program's status and costs. Agreeing to a unified position has been difficult because some countries want the plane urgently, including France and Britain, while others such as Germany are more concerned about its cost. The remaining European customers are Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg.If the plane flies next week as planned, four of them will begin a three-year program of flight testing to be certified by military and civil-aviation authorities.

Despite the program's troubles, it has a trump card: Militaries need airlift. The world's only other big military-transport planes are U.S. models, but Boeing's jet-powered C-17 is too big for most countries, while the updated C-130 from Lockeed Martin Corp. is too small. "There is huge demand for this aircraft," Mr. Gallois, EADS Chief Executive, said.

AinOnline: Airbus A400’s mercy role could be its best: by Chris Pocock

For the complete report from AINonline click on this link

Airbus A400’s mercy role could be its best: by Chris Pocock

The Airbus A400M is not just a military airlifter, according to Peter Scoffham, vice president of customer marketing for Airbus Military, speaking at the 2007 Military Airlift in London. It is also well-suited to the transport of humanitarian aid, which, he said, is one reason Malaysia has chosen the aircraft for its fleet.The A400M will fill this requirement gap, he said. Its four powerful yet fuel-efficient turboprop engines confer excellent tactical performance and a fast Mach 0.72 cruise at high altitude. This makes the new European airlifter suitable for both long- and short-haul transport, Scoffham said. “After the tsunami, the A400M could have reached Aceh, Indonesia, from the UK in one crew duty day, with only one stop and carrying a payload of 24 metric tons,” he said. “The aircraft is also capable of taking 25 metric tons into a 2,500-foot airstrip while holding enough fuel for a return trip of 1,000 nautical miles,” he added.

Compositesworld.com - Airbus A400M wing box is delivered

For the complete report from the Compositesworld.com click on this link

Airbus A400M wing box is delivered

Airbus says the first center wing box for the A400M military transport aircraft has been delivered from the Airbus Nantes site in France to Seville in Spain, where it arrived on March 28. Deliveries of major structural sections for the first A400M military transport aircraft to the final assembly line in Seville, Spain, started at the end of 2006.Four center wing box structures are currently in production in the dedicated facility at the Airbus plant in Nantes, France. Firm orders for the A400M now stand at 192 aircraft.

The A400M programme is a direct result of a commonly expressed need by 8 European air forces for a new generation military airlifter. The scope of this initiative to specify and procure an aircraft of a common definition is unique and clearly points to the way forward in the domain of "smart procurement" for the armed forces of allied nations.The European Union (EU) is eagerly working towards establishing its own powerful armed forces, independent of American command structures and the new military transport—Airbus A 400 M—forms the heart of the European weapons programme.