A400M makes first flight

Most of the flight was conducted at altitudes between 8000 and 10,000 feet, but went up as high as 18,000 to check the aircraft’s pressurisation. The aircraft also achieved its maximum designed speed of 300kts (555kmh).

“We have had a very successful first flight, said the aircraft’s captain, chief test pilot military, Ed Strongman. “The takeoff performance was impressive, we explored a lot of the operational flight envelope, and it was a delight to operate in such a well-designed cockpit with its easy interface to all the normal and military systems.”

The rest of the crew comprised Experimental Test Pilot, Ignacio Lombo; three Senior Flight Test Engineers; Jean-Philippe Cottet, Eric Isorce, Didier Ronceray; and Test Flight Engineer, Gerard Leskerpit. All aspects of the flight were monitored in real time by ground crews back in Seville via telemetry.

The A400M’s first flight was delayed nearly two years and planned deliveries are running about three years late after technical delays with the aircraft’s new 8200kW Europrop International (EPI) TP400D engines, the most powerful turboprops developed outside of the Soviet Union, and an underestimation by EADS of the engineering effort involved in bringing a mature aircraft to market. France, the launch customer for the aircraft is expected to receive its first A400s by the end of 2012, with the other partner nations and customers following soon after.

But the program’s future still hangs in the balance with the distribution of an anticipated 30 per cent rise in development costs over the originally planned €20bn (A$32bn) still to be settled. The partners maybe asked to pay more for their aircraft, may take fewer aircraft for the same program cost, take their full compliment of aircraft and make up the additional costs through the life of the aircraft, or share the cost burden with Airbus Military parent, EADS.

“I hope we can soon provide certainty that we are able to continue the A400M program,” said Airbus CEO Tom Enders. “This is expected by those at Airbus, our partners and suppliers worldwide who contributed so strongly to today’s success as well as by the air forces who wait for their plane.” Enders later told reporters that, “There are ongoing negotiations…I hope we can conclude them in the weeks ahead.”

In the meantime, the first half of 2010 will see MSN 1 joined by two sister aircraft, MSN 2 and MSN 3, followed by MSN 4 by the end of the year. MSN 5 will be a structural test aircraft, while a fifth flight test aircraft, MSN 6 will join the flight test program during 2011. The five flight test aircraft will be used for a 3700 hour flight test program in the lead up to delivery.

The A400M is scheduled to be certified to European military and civilian certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). A total of 184 A400Ms is on order for Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the UK. South Africa moved to cancel its order for eight A400Ms last month.