Quoting mrg (Reply 149): Spanish sources are reporting a sale of an undisclosed number of A400Ms to Egypt. I'm suprised that they still have two coins left to rub together.

Like the Mistrals it will probably be with Saudi backing.

Quoting mrg (Reply 146): Quoting Revelation (Reply 145): It'll be interesting to hear how those tests go. Are you expecting any showstoppers? I'm not.

Just interested in hearing how the tests go. There was a lot of speculation on this site over the years about how A400M would do with loading modern combat vehicles.

I am not an expert, so let's go with some numbers:

Stryker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stryker

Weight ICV: 18.16 short tons (16.47 t), MGS: 20.69 short tons (18.77 t)
Length 22 ft 10 in (6.95 m)
Width 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
Height 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)

A400M: http://militaryaircraft-airbusds.com/aircraft/a400m/a400mabout.aspx

Its cargo hold has an inside usable width of four metres / 13ft, height of up to four metres / 13ft, and usable length of 17.71 metres / 58 ft. With a maximum payload of up to 37 tonnes (81 600 lb)...

Seems like A400M would just get off the ground with two of the vehicles and a lot of room for any ping pong balls being needed at the next hop, as long as they weren't needed too far away.

Quoting kiwirob (Reply 150): Quoting mrg (Reply 149): Spanish sources are reporting a sale of an undisclosed number of A400Ms to Egypt. I'm suprised that they still have two coins left to rub together. Like the Mistrals it will probably be with Saudi backing.

Saudi money spends well. Airbus should make a two-fisted grab, and see if they can't sell a few A380s as troop carriers too. That's the kind of deal that Airbus has been praying for.

Quoting Revelation (Reply 151): Seems like A400M would just get off the ground with two of the vehicles and a lot of room for any ping pong balls being needed at the next hop, as long as they weren't needed too far away.

Seems about right. MTOW is 141000kg. Empty weight plus two Strykers adds up to 116000kg. That leaves about 25 Tons for fuel. Maximum fuel load is 50 Tons.

It's a fine plane.

Wings for first Spanish Air Force A400M arrived in Seville.

http://militaryaircraft-airbusds.com...Force-A400M-arrive-in-Seville.aspx

Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 137): Quoting N14AZ (Reply 136):When is the next German Air Force due? October.

Didn't happen, correct? 

Ahh, I just realize, you didn't say which year, very clevery....  

[Edited 2015-11-04 23:50:14]

Quoting N14AZ (Reply 154): Ahh, I just realize, you didn't say which year, very clevery....

 

On another note, the A400M successfully completed certification testing on a grass runway:

http://militaryaircraft-airbusds.com...ss-runway-certification-tests.aspx

Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 155): On another note, the A400M successfully completed certification testing on a grass runway:

Thanks for the link. The linked video is worth looking at. A great plane.

A nice tour through the final assembly line:

http://quillorcapture.com/2015/11/03/take-a-tour-of-the-a400-factory/

Parts for MSN 38, 39, 40 and 41 can be seen.

Parts for the first Spanish Air Force A400M (MSN 44) arrive in final assembly:



Source
http://fly-news.es/militar/airbus-de...space-a400m-para-espana-otro-paso/

[Edited 2015-11-13 03:28:09]

The second Royal Malaysian Air Force A400M (MSN 32) on the flight line:


http://twitter.com/marhalimabas/status/661732581868617728

The third Royal Malaysian Air Force A400M (MSN 36) in final assembly:


http://twitter.com/marhalimabas/status/661552341229813760

Quoting SeJoWa (Reply 133): Quoting GRIVely (Reply 132): A typical SOF support drop zone was 200 meters, or less, in length and maybe 50-75 wide. With steerable chutes you only had about one to 1.5 mins to dump everything and get out. Lots less time if the troops only had regular T-10 chutes or non-instrumented cargo packages. That's an amazing level of precision.

Have you ever seen the DZ on Corregidor Island in the Philippines, which was used in 1945, when the Americans re-captured this fortress island (which is guarding the entrance into Manila Bay)? It was just a football field and they used dumb round parachutes from minimum altitude out of C-47s to surprise the Japanese soldiers there.

Quoting mrg (Reply 146): Quoting GRIVely (Reply 143): How about flying in to do a re supply or pick up casualties. What do the German military use when they need to do that or insert or retrieve a spec ops team? And you can predict that combat drops don't happen often? Obviously I can't predict that combat drops into a hot LZ won't happen, but looking at the conflicts fought over the last 40 years I would not expect a sudden surge of parachute insertions. With regard to the extraction of SF members, Airbus manufactures smaller airlifters. I think I'm right in saying that the Israelis are modifying a C-295 into a gunship.

The Fench are currently those with most experience in airdrops, combat jumps and airborne ops. They do a lot of them during their campaign in the Southern Sahara. And they are using C-160s, C-130s and A400Ms.

Jan

Quoting mrg (Reply 156): Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 155): On another note, the A400M successfully completed certification testing on a grass runway: Thanks for the link. The linked video is worth looking at. A great plane.

I bet the glider pilots are mad the A400M messed up their nice grass runway!  

I remember that back in 2005 or so Chile was on the brink of taking 3x A400M, a contract which was not signed. I think in 2014 there were rumours, that this deal was back on the agenda. Anyone in the know what the current status is?

MSN 28 has been delivered:

Quote: Airbus A400 -M180 28 14-0028 Türk Hava Kuvvetleri delivery 25nov15 SVQ-LTAU ex A4M028

delivery flight to Turkish air force ex A4M028

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMvMMot3btE

Spain and Airbus announce reduction in acquisition of 13 of 27 ordered aircraft. Spain will initially only acquire 14 frames by 2022.
Only after 2024 will Spain reconsider funding of 13 frames from initial order.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...mporary-reduction-in-a400m-419604/

Quoting MD11Engineer (Reply 161): The Fench are currently those with most experience in airdrops, combat jumps and airborne ops. They do a lot of them during their campaign in the Southern Sahara. And they are using C-160s, C-130s and A400Ms.

What the French are doing is risky and cannot be considered normal. French operations in Africa have been the subject of scrutiny by the US Army. Several risks have been identified. Their strategy seems to be working for the moment. Doesn't mean it will always be like that.

Germany received its second A400M:

http://twitter.com/AirbusDS/status/672073742642765824

Quoting mrg (Reply 167): What the French are doing is risky and cannot be considered normal.

Define *normal*

Quoting mrg (Reply 167): French operations in Africa have been the subject of scrutiny by the US Army.

According to what reference, as if we could give a hoot to the opinion of the US army in the region ?

Quoting mrg (Reply 167): Several risks have been identified

Errr... Which ones ?

Quoting mrg (Reply 167): Their strategy seems to be working for the moment. Doesn't mean it will always be like that.

We should really take the German attitude and never ever ever ever intervene to protect ourselves, right ?

Quoting mrg (Reply 146): Obviously I can't predict that combat drops into a hot LZ won't happen, but looking at the conflicts fought over the last 40 years I would not expect a sudden surge of parachute insertions.

.
Uninformed or biased ?
Let's see :
1978 : interventions of French paratroopers on Kolwezi in two occasions. ( combat drops from 800 ft of 415 and 205 trooperts )
2004 : 8th RPIMA dropped in Kosovo
2007 : Central Africa, Commandos drop.
2013 : Tombuctu, 2nd REP

Hey ! don't those count ?

[Edited 2015-12-05 15:34:21]

[Edited 2015-12-05 15:36:46]

Another story on the Spanish A400M reduction.

Spain now plans to take delivery of 14 frames with first delivery expected in 2016, then in batches of up to three aircraft until 2022.

Part of the reason for cuts of Spanish A400 plan is to open up budget space for acquisition of 3 A330 MRTT's to replace its aging Boeing KC-707s tankers which is now the top priority per Gen. Francisco Javier Garcia Arnaiz, head of the Spanish air force.

Spain also says is will seek additional C-295 as a lower cost multi mission platform for delivery 2020 and beyond.


http://aviationweek.com/defense/spai...ostponing-nearly-half-a400m-orders

Germany is today transporting supplies from Jagel to Incirlik with the A400M. This is the first ever operational mission carrying around 40 tons of supplies for the RECCE Tornado.

They just interviewed the pilot in german tv and he stated the testing was completed and successful.

Flying from A to B is certainly not yet the most challenging mission but it is a good start nevertheless.

Quoting mercure1 (Reply 170): Spain also says is will seek additional C-295 as a lower cost multi mission platform for delivery 2020 and beyond.

Also very needed, because AFAIK most if not all of the old C212s are in no operational shape, leaving a gap in the tactical airlift.

Germany now received its 3rd A400M aircraft:

http://twitter.com/AirbusDS/status/677863455442001920

It is telling that due to French SF concerns and operations, new Lockheed C-130s are being procured in lieu of A400Ms. I am glad to see the right tool for the right job being procured.

Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 72):

Bad Ass looking plane.!

Quoting Revelation (Reply 94): Imagine the fuss if someone with a US flag next to their username said this? On the other hand, the B787, C-17 and VH-71 programs were not examples of excellence either!

Seeing the MRJ program is a mess too, I´d venture that in the future all new aircraft will be delayed.


I really hope the Mexican government buys 3 to 6 M400 we really need this for emergency transport and disaster relief.


TRB

There were two more deliveries at the end of last year:

Quote: Airbus A400M -180 31 F-RBAH Armée de l´Air delivery 30dec15 SVQ-PUF ex A4M031

Quote: Airbus A400M -180 32** M54-02 Royal Malaysian Air Force delivery 27dec15 SVQ-AAN ex A4M032

Airbus was not satisfied with only 11 deliveries in 2015 and aims to deliver 20+ aircraft this year.

http://twitter.com/R_Wall/status/702413403470602240

[Edited 2016-02-24 02:13:41]

Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 177): Airbus was not satisfied with only 11 deliveries in 2015 and aims to deliver 20+ jets this year.

Ah, the A400M-Jet update is ready sooner than I expected.   

Ah yes, it's a turboprop   Fixed.

[Edited 2016-02-24 02:20:33]

Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 177): Airbus was not satisfied with only 11 deliveries in 2015 and aims to deliver 20+ aircraft this year.

More details at FG ( http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...ling-of-a400m-deliveries-i-422343/ ) where Enders describes the program as "troubled" and:

Quote: “The challenges that remain are on the upgrade of the military capabilities of that aircraft going forward,” he adds. Enders says it would be “futile” to comment on any penalties the issues with the programme has faced, but “obviously we work hard to avoid additional charges, that is a given”. He notes Airbus is looking into cost reductions and improvements in processes, “but this is a programme that is still troubled in various ways, we’ve made that clear and there is no reason to deny this," he says, adding: "the A400M is making progress and the final assembly line is definitely going to deliver more in 2016 – we have to because we are behind customer expectations, and all in all, it is certainly an achievable goal to deliver to our customers, throughout 2016, more than 20 aircraft."

As usual, Trooper Tom speaks with Germanic bluntness...

I think he's playing the role of pessimist because he knows the customers aren't happy with the delivery rate and the rate at which the new features are being added. Hopefully he's being too pessimistic and the future will go well.

AvWeek reports on some minor manufacturing glitches that have caused one in-flight shut down and ADs to be issued against the A400M propellor gear box:

http://aviationweek.com/defense/airb...rking-a400m-manufacturing-glitches

Quote: Airbus says the issue involved a specific heat treatment process in manufacturing that adversely affected the strength of the ring gear. ... The second PGB issue involves cracking of a component known as the input pinion plug, which in some cases can result in the release of small metallic particles into the oil system, where they are detected by a magnetic chip detector.

Indonesia seems to be on track to take a limited number of A400Ms:

http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/n...s-a400m-military-transport-planes/

Germany seems, according to Spiegel, be preparing for the worst and is evaluating to cancel the Project if engine issues are not solved by the end of this year:

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsc...-fuer-den-ernstfall-a-1091973.html

The article states:

Ein solches Szenario B könnte sein, dass die Bundeswehr bei weiteren A400M-Lieferverzögerungen amerikanische Boeing-Transportflieger vom Typ C-17 einkauft. Solche Flieger bieten die USA gerade mehreren osteuropäischen Ländern an. Das Modell jedenfalls wurde nach Angaben von Teilnehmern im Ausschuss erwähnt.

A Scenario B could be that the Bundeswehr will purchase C-17s if there are further delays. It was mentioned in the confidential Meeting.

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 183): A Scenario B could be that the Bundeswehr will purchase C-17s if there are further delays. It was mentioned in the confidential Meeting.

Since the C-17 line has essentially ended, I am not sure how this is supposed to pressure Airbus to improve?
To my knowledge, no one has any second hand C-17's available for sale.

Quoting par13del (Reply 184): Since the C-17 line has essentially ended, I am not sure how this is supposed to pressure Airbus to improve? To my knowledge, no one has any second hand C-17's available for sale.

You wave the billions at Boeing, you will find a C-17 assembly hall cranking them out. Maybe even in your own country.

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 183): Germany seems, according to Spiegel, be preparing for the worst and is evaluating to cancel the Project if engine issues are not solved by the end of this year: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsc...-fuer-den-ernstfall-a-1091973.html The article states: Ein solches Szenario B könnte sein, dass die Bundeswehr bei weiteren A400M-Lieferverzögerungen amerikanische Boeing-Transportflieger vom Typ C-17 einkauft. Solche Flieger bieten die USA gerade mehreren osteuropäischen Ländern an. Das Modell jedenfalls wurde nach Angaben von Teilnehmern im Ausschuss erwähnt. A Scenario B could be that the Bundeswehr will purchase C-17s if there are further delays. It was mentioned in the confidential Meeting.

Der Spiegel is anyway on a campaign. It was political pressure that influenced the choice of power plant. It was also a list of different and changing requirements by the various air forces having a hand in the delays.

More bad news for the A400M... "Cracking Behavior"

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...ehavior-in-a400m-military-aircraft

This thing is starting to make the 787 look like a well run project...   

Quoting mffoda (Reply 187): This thing is starting to make the 787 look like a well run project...

Dream on. A400M still has less issues than the C17 encountered in its early years.

Quoting WIederling (Reply 188): Dream on. A400M still has less issues than the C17 encountered in its early years.

We had a C17 standing around on Vestmannaeyjar blocking both runways because it busted its MLG landing on a gravel runway. That happend with a rather light load Keiko to be exact.

Quoting mjoelnir (Reply 189): We had a C17 standing around on Vestmannaeyjar blocking both runways because it busted its MLG landing on a gravel runway. That happend with a rather light load Keiko to be exact.

No kidding. Well, there you go. The A400 is one tough cookie.   

Wow, making airplanes must be hard. who knew?

Quoting prebennorholm (Reply 192): Problem was that too much swashing of the water in Keiko's huge bath tub made the plane's center of gravity fluctuate beyond the control capability of the pilot. The C-17 touched down hard beyond the structural strength of the landing gear, calling for an on-site $1M repair.

No, the Air Force accident investigation board has determined that the accident occurred due to the failure of the trunnion collar spud of the main landing gear, caused by a technique used to clean the component. Damage to the right main landing gear was substantial, and was classified as a determined a Class A mishap.

Quoting zeke (Reply 193): and was classified as a determined a Class A mishap.

True enough.... Though Class A mishaps are hardly rare, dozen and dozens every year in the US Military... And else where.

And I'm not suggesting you don't know that... "Stuff" happens.  

Quoting prebennorholm (Reply 192): Quoting mjoelnir (Reply 189): We had a C17 standing around on Vestmannaeyjar blocking both runways because it busted its MLG landing on a gravel runway. That happend with a rather light load Keiko to be exact. It wasn't the fault of the C-17. The load - Keiko - was pretty light, some 12,000lb. But you forget to tell that Keiko (a killer whale) was sitting in a "bath tub" with many more pounds of water. Problem was that too much swashing of the water in Keiko's huge bath tub made the plane's center of gravity fluctuate beyond the control capability of the pilot. The C-17 touched down hard beyond the structural strength of the landing gear, calling for an on-site $1M repair. Attempting to land a C-17 on that runway is beyond me. I landed there some years earlier as one of seven pax on a Britten Norman Islander, and I found that pretty scary. Turbulence from the vertical cliffs into the ocean at the runway ends was massive. Recently it has been extended and got hard surface. However, the $1M landing gear damage wasn't the major disaster in that project. Millions of school children were fooled into donating a buck or two of their pocket money to the $7M bill to repatriate Keiko from 20+ years of captivity into wild life in the ocean, a project which all experts said was doomed to fail, which it did. But the project did provide a lot of cheap promotion for the Warner Bros. movie "Free Villy".

One big BS of excuses. You can talk about Keiko being a mistake, but that has nothing to do with the C-17.
Keiko was not in a tank but in a sling being watered all the time. He was moved by a C-130 the fist leg.The landing was done on a at that time gravel runway, were a C17 would not have been able to take off at MTOW, but should have been able to land at MLW, but the load was far below possible payload. If the landing on the Vestmannaeyar airport is beyond you, than the use of the C17 as a military transport being able to land close to a battlefield should be beyond your imagination. Such a landing was exactly what a C17 is designed for.
The cause for the landing gear failure was said to be service procedures rather than design failures. The service procedures were change after this accident.

Quoting prebennorholm (Reply 192): However, the $1M landing gear damage wasn't the major disaster in that project. Millions of school children were fooled into donating a buck or two of their pocket money to the $7M bill to repatriate Keiko from 20+ years of captivity into wild life in the ocean, a project which all experts said was doomed to fail, which it did.But the project did provide a lot of cheap promotion for the Warner Bros. movie "Free Villy".

I'd disagree with you. Yes, the animal ultimately died, but it's thought he died of pneumonia. Keep in mind, he swam 900 miles from Iceland to Norway unaided (in fact he left Iceland with a pod of wild whales), and from his condition upon arriving in Norway, it would seem quite obvious he managed to feed himself en route. This was August 2002. He died in December 2003. So, for over a year he was alive in the ocean, free. Obviously 23ish years of captivity had conditioned him to human contact, and he sought it out. As you would expect from a whale that hadn't had contact with its own species for the majority of its life. Furthermore, it's been said that had he not been removed from the Mexico city tank he was in, he probably wouldn't have survived the year, he was in such poor health. He had lung issues due to the air quality, as well as skin issues.


I'll admit that he was probably not the best candidate for a release, given that he was a transient Icelandic Orca, and we had no knowledge of his family pod. His young age at capture and health conditions didn't aid. I'd have suggested that Lolita (At the Miami Seaquarium in a tank not much larger than a swimming pool at 80x35 ftx 20 ft deep for a whale that's 21 feet long) would have been a much better candidate for a trial release, given that her pod is extremely well studied, and in fact her mother is still alive.(L25 born in 1930)

There have been studies done on her where recordings of her pod have been played in her tank and she very obviously recognizes the dialect. As such, she would be a much better release candidate. As a member of L pod, she is technically an protected animal, and legislation has been brought forth to remove her from the Seaquarium.

Springer (A73) was captured after being found emaciated in Puget sound, was rehabbed in a sea pen, and rejoined her pod and has since had a calf of her own.(A104)

There are also cases of dolphins having been in captivity for years either escaping or being released, and rejoining their native populations, Tom and Misha were a great example of this. http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/marine/hisaronu-dolphins/

Don't mean to take that too off topic, but as a child I spent time in the water with captive orcas and dolphins, and always felt negatively about the whole thing. I think a lot of it for me started after the continuously dying calves, very few animals ever seemed to make it past 4-5 years. Then of course The Cove and Blackfish came out a few years ago and brought a lot more attention to the cause. For how insanely intelligent these animals are (And having been up close and in the water with them, I can attest to their intelligence. Heck, the fact that different pods have different dialects says a lot)

Clearly things are not going good on the A400M program. Some additional information:

- Airbus sees potential "significant" financial impact from A400 issues
- Airbus unsure how many A400Ms will be delivered this year
- Airbus CFO says chance of A400M cancellations "very remote"

From http://twitter.com/R_Wall

The whole program goes even further south, something needs to change very quickly.

[Edited 2016-05-24 06:50:12]

First delivery of the year happened earlier this month:

Quote: Airbus A400M -180 26 ZM407 Royal Air Force delivery 11may16 MAD-SVQ-BZZ

On the engine cracks:

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...alf-a400m-engines-have-cracks.html

Quote: Airbus has confirmed the most negative scenario regarding faults in the reduction gear of the engine of the A400M military transport aircraft, as cracks have been found in all engines whose propellers rotate clockwise. In extreme cases, these cracks in the engine’s Propeller Gear Box (PGB) could shed flakes of metal which then that pass into the oil cooling circuit. This is what happened earlier this year to a newly-delivered UK aircraft. (The PGB is made by the Italian company Avio, a subsidiary of US giant General Electric.) That means that two of the four engines fitted to each of the 24 aircraft delivered to date – or a total 48 engines -- must now be repaired, a much bigger task than initially anticipated.