AIRBUS A400 M

Murdo Morrison
‏@Flighteditor





Airbus Military says A400M has completed "critical
test phase" after 300h of function and reliability flight testing of
transporter.

Airbus Military has successfully completed the 300 hours of Function
& Reliability (F&R) flight-testing of the A400M new generation
airlifter which is a key requirement prior to full certification.

Data from the F&R programme, which was performed entirely using the
first production-representative aircraft – MSN6 / Grizzly 5 – is now
being examined by the civil and military certification authorities for
the A400M – respectively EASA and a committee appointed by OCCAR.

Having received the restricted Type Certification begin May this year,
this phase of the flight test programme was the last major requirement
prior to full Type Certification. It is expected that the aircraft will
receive the full civil Type Certificate and military Initial Operating
Capability in the first quarter of next year subject to the approval of
the relevant authorities. First delivery to the French Air Force, of
MSN7, is planned for the second quarter, and a total of four aircraft
will be delivered during the year in line with the schedule.

The F&R testing was completed in just 32 days, during which the
aircraft made 52 flights and visited 10 different airfields. The
exercise is intended to examine the aircraft´s behavior in conditions
representative of normal in-service experience, including both routine
and simulated abnormal operations in a wide range of weather and
locations. It helps minimize the risk to operational crews, particularly
on new aircraft entering service, of malfunctions and failures that
increase pilot workload.

This intensive testing demonstrated the excellent reliability of the
A400M and its systems as well as its TP400 engines even under an
exceptionally demanding schedule.

Airbus Military Head of Flight and Integration Tests Fernando Alonso
said: “During this F&R campaign the A400M has really been put
through its paces. It has flown an average of two flights and 15 flight
hours per day over a 26 day timeframe with only 6 days devoted to
routine maintenance activities.The crews have been greatly impressed
with the performance of the on-board systems and engines, and we are
confident that we have a sound basis for completing the civil and
military certification in the next couple of months.”

Airbus Military expects to secure full civil certification for its A400M
Atlas transport "within days", and to fly its first of at least 174
production examples in early March, says programme head Cédric Gautier.

Speaking at the company's San Pablo final assembly site in Seville,
Spain on 15 February, Gautier said issues with the airlifter's Europrop
International TP400-D6 engines encountered during 2012 have been
resolved, and that the type will meet its full performance and payload
requirements from entry into service.

Gautier identifies the period between 2 and 6 March as being the
target for the first flight of French air force aircraft MSN7, with
Airbus Military already having begun its production acceptance test
activities ahead of the milestone event. "For the time being it is
running extremely well," he says.