AIRBUS A400 M

L'A400M d'Airbus devrait faire son vol inaugural vendredi :

Airbus a annoncé mardi que son avion de transport militaire A400M allait probablement effectuer son vol inaugural vendredi, après de nombreux retards dans le calendrier.
Le porte-parole de l'avionneur européen, Jaime Perez-Guerra, a affirmé que les derniers tests avaient été réussis et que les données devaient en être analysées, après quoi l'appareil réaliserait son premier vol, "le plus probablement" vendredi matin. L'avion est assemblé à Séville, en Espagne
Lancé en 2003 avec une commande initiale de 180 appareils par sept pays -France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Allemagne, Grande-Bretagne, Espagne et Turquie-, le projet de l'A400M a souffert de nombreux retards et dépassements de coûts.

Le premier vol de l'Airbus A400M est prévu vendredi matin en Espagne

PARIS — Le premier vol de l'avion de transport militaire Airbus A400M est prévu vendredi matin à Séville (Espagne), marquant une étape importante pour ce programme marqué par des retards, a-t-on appris mercredi auprès du groupe européen EADS.
"Le décollage est prévu à 10H00" environ (09H00 GMT) de Séville, dans le sud de l'Espagne, a indiqué à l'AFP un porte-parole d'EADS, la maison mère d'Airbus. Le vol pourra durer entre une et trois heures.
Ce premier vol, qui sera effectué avec près d'un an et demi de retard, devait avoir lieu durant la semaine, avait déjà annoncé Airbus Military. Mais la date précise devait dépendre de la progression des essais au sol et des conditions météorologiques.
L'essai sera mené par une équipe de six personnes : deux pilotes - un Britannique et un Espagnol - et quatre ingénieurs navigants français.
Le premier vol doit marquer une étape importante dans ce programme de 20 milliards d'euros qui a été marqué par d'importants retards.
Airbus avait lancé l'A400M en signant un contrat en 2003 avec sept pays (Allemagne, Espagne, France, Royaume-Uni, Turquie, Belgique et Luxembourg) pour 180 appareils.
Mais ces pays de l'OTAN ne recevront pas l'appareil avant la fin 2012 au mieux, soit avec trois ans de retard au moins sur le calendrier initial.
L'avion a en effet été confronté à des problèmes de développement liés à sa complexité et à sa motorisation.
Conséquence de ces retards, EADS a déjà dû prendre pour 2,4 milliards d'euros de provisions et n'exclut pas de nouvelles charges. Le groupe discute à l'heure actuelle et jusqu'à la fin de l'année avec les pays clients pour trouver un nouvel accord sur le calendrier de livraison, les spécificités de l'appareil ou encore son prix.

About half of the buyers have opted for a military radar supplied by Rockwell Collins, and at least three have previously ordered in-flight refuelling equipment. Every A400M will be piped to carry underwing Cobham 908E-series hose-and-drogue pods, and MSN001 already has markings beneath its wing to help pilots line up on the equipment, which will be positioned between the outer engine and wing tip.

Germany, which has picked the highest equipment specification for its 60 aircraft, is the only nation so far to select a CAT 3 autoland capability for its fleet. It will also use a terrain-following radar mode for some operations. Strongman expects the overall flight-test campaign for the A400M to last for at least four years after first flight.

Since aircraft MSN001 was transferred to the A400M flight-test department on 12 November, it has made swift progress toward its debut sortie, and several lessons have been learned along the way.

An early snag came when the aircraft's auxiliary power unit was "de-stored" but was unable to start its four Europrop International TP400-D6 engines. The fault was addressed, with a new software load being provided by EPI overnight.

The APU's exhaust "chimney", routed out of the upper starboard wing root, has shown good initial results, with recorded temperatures lower than expected. The exhaust's height is expected to be lowered subsequently.

Although it contributed to an overall programme delay by taking longer than expected to fly and complete its campaign, the TP400 flight testbed (FTB) provided a valuable service by identifying other potential issues. These included a rear wing heating problem on the host Lockheed Martin C-130K, addressed as a temporary fix on the A400M by adding more metal plate protection. A permanent solution will be installed from aircraft three, and retrofitted to the programme's first two test examples.

Nacelle cooling was also "a big problem for the FTB initially", says Strongman. This was addressed by adding an ejector to push out bleed air from the high-pressure compressor and reduce temperature. Airbus will define the parameters under which the modification is required to operate during further testing, but has, for now, adopted a fix so it works while the engines are at above 50% power setting while on the ground.

Overall, the A400M has shown "good engine response in normal operations and slams", says Strongman. Propeller pitch angle will be adjusted as the aircraft's crew gets a wider understanding of its neutral position, he says.

Restricted braking performance because of loose connectors caused tachometer readings to be lost and rear wheel braking to drop from over 138bar (2,000lb/in2) to about half that level during a rejected take-off at over 80kt. "We tested that further than we intended to," concedes Strongman.

Poor anti-skid braking was also encountered and was the subject of pre-flight modifications. Software fixes are also being sought to rectify an expected anomaly that results in erroneous data being provided by the aircraft's pitot tubes while it is taxied in reverse.

A few anomalies have also been found in the aircraft's electrics, but Strongman notes this was also encountered during testing of Airbus's last new commercial product. "All that work and learning with the A380 has come good," he says. "We're in a better position today."




Fixes are now being made rapidly, as engineering personnel at Airbus and its suppliers have worked round-the-clock to prepare for the first flight. "A year ago, life wasn't like this," says Strongman. "As people work together and know each other better, then the working relationship is much easier. There's a much better feeling of teamwork in people and wanting to build this aeroplane. It's really encouraging."

CUSTOMER DELIVERIES

Customer deliveries of the A400M will begin in December 2012 under current plans, with MSN007 scheduled to be handed over to launch operator the French air force. If the schedule holds firm, this will be more than three years behind the date of October 2009 originally agreed under the terms of Airbus Military's then-€20 billion ($29.5 billion) development and production contract.

First air show appearances are planned for Berlin and Farnborough in 2010, and at Paris in 2011. Future demonstration tours are scheduled to take in Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru and the UAE.

EADS is continuing discussions with its European customers over the terms of its 180-aircraft launch contract, which senior officials have previously described as unworkable. The company aims to complete this process with the nations through OCCAR before year-end, when it has also previously said it will halt work using its own funds.

Achieving the first flight of MSN001 before the talks conclude could be a pivotal factor in ensuring the A400M is safeguarded, and able to deliver on its design potential at last.

Admin a écrit:La video n'est plus ligne !

Airbus: first flight 'progressing as planned'
By Craig Hoyle

The first flight of the Airbus Military A400M is “progressing as planned”, according to Airbus’s head of flight test Fernando Alonso.

Aircraft MSN001 took off around 10min late due to “some glitches with the instrumentation”, he says, but during its first hour of flight its crew successfully extended its flaps to landing configuration and also retracted its landing gear. Computers linked to test equipment had to be reset twice, but Alonso says the minor issue was resolved, and did not threaten the first flight event.

“For the time being everything is going fine, and the crew is comfortable with the aeroplane,” says Alonso.

MSN001 took to the air with a take-off weight of 127t, and is currently flying at an altitude of around 8,000ft (2,440m) over south-west Spain.

EADS builds case for A400M sale to USAF
By Stephen Trimble

EADS North America chief executive Sean O'Keefe today revealed three factors he believes could sway the US Air Force within five years to buy the Airbus A400M transport.

The A400M, which achieved first flight this morning, could fill an anticipated airlift gap created by a wave of Lockheed Martin C-5A retirements, Boeing C-17 programme termination and Lockheed C-130J size and performance limitations, O'Keefe told reporters during a breakfast event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

EADS anticipates that the A400M would be the USAF's only option to address the gap, which could occur slightly before the middle of the next decade, he said.

EADS analysts identified the three factors based on an internal assessment. The company has not shared its findings with the USAF, nor discussed plans with service officials for an A400M acquisition, O'Keefe said.

The EADS assessment conflicts with USAF plans to continue buying C-130Js and flying all 59 C-5As, although the latter were removed from the reliability enhancement and re-engining programme (RERP) last year to save money.

The USAF has attempted to shut down the C-17 production line every year since 2007, but Congress has added funds to buy 33 more airlifters beyond the USAF's stated requirement. Congress is currently debating conflicting proposals to add between three and 10 more C-17s in the Fiscal 2010 budget.

"That doesn't fill the [airlift] gap at all even if Congress buys a few more," O'Keefe says.

The A400M's future, however, is itself uncertain. Airbus has asked its customers to agree on new contract terms to absorb cost overruns reportedly greater than 5 billion Euros.

The A400M programme is scheduled to complete the flight test phase and enter service in 2012.

Dans une interview parue ce matin dans La Tribune, le numéro deux d'Airbus reconnait que cette hausse sera "significative". On parle aujourd'hui de plus de 27 milliards d'euros pour 180 appareils, alors que le contrat inititial était de 20 milliards. Soit un tiers plus cher. Cela met le prix unitaire de l'avion à environ 150 millions d'euros ! Qui payera : "Il faut que les Etats accpetent une hausse du prix" exige le numéro deux d'Aibus. En clair, le contribuable en sera pour ses frais. Contrairement à la plupart de ses partenaires, en particulier l'Allemagne et le Royaume-Uni, la France et son ministre de la défense Hervé Morin, ont toujours été prêts à ouvrir largement les cordons de la bourse, puisqu'il s'agit de sauver un symbole, celui de la construction d'une bien hypothétique Europe de la défense. Et quand on aime de passion, fut-elle irraisonnée, on ne compte pas...

Admin a écrit:Zut je l'ai loupé

En voyant cet avion, je me dis que dans le futur, il faudra de nouveau compter sur les turboprop
L'A400M en a 4 qui seront certifiés civil... poussant chacun comme un CFM56... ou un PW1200 .

Intéressant de connaître les specs de consommation de cette bestiole.

Il serait dommage qu'elle reste cantonnée à l'A400M... surtout si le potentiel de développement à 15000 cv est une réalité.

Paul a écrit:

Admin a écrit:Zut je l'ai loupé

En voyant cet avion, je me dis que dans le futur, il faudra de nouveau compter sur les turboprop
L'A400M en a 4 qui seront certifiés civil... poussant chacun comme un CFM56... ou un PW1200 .

Intéressant de connaître les specs de consommation de cette bestiole.

Il serait dommage qu'elle reste cantonnée à l'A400M... surtout si le potentiel de développement à 15000 cv est une réalité.

Bonjour,

ATR étudie la possibilité d'un tout nouvel appareil de 90 places et plus, peut-être une version plus petite de ce moteur pourrait faire l'affaire, idem pour Bombardier qui pourrait également lancé un nouveau turbo-prop de 90-96 pax.

Merci