A400M makes first flight

The first Airbus Military A400M successfully completed its much delayed maiden flight on December 11, taking off from Seville, Spain, at 10:15 local time and landing 3hr 47min later.

The aircraft, dubbed MSN 1, took off at a weight of 127 tonnes including 15 tonnes of test equipment and two tonnes of water ballast (compared with its maximum takeoff weight of 141 tonnes) accompanied by a Corvette chase plane, and the crew of the aircraft confirmed the aircraft and its engines performed as expected. “The six-man crew extensively explored the aircraft’s flight envelope in direct law, including a wide speed-range, and tested lowering and raising of the landing gear and high-lift devices at altitude,” an Airbus Military statement said. “After checking the aircraft’s performance in the landing configuration the crew landed back at Seville.”