A400M MSN01

[richelieu]

INFECTIS REBUS ..... ovvero ..... non hanno concluso un cavolo ..... almeno per ora .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Wait A Little Longer

Posted by Robert Wall at 1/21/2010 12:02 PM CST


No deal. That's the outcome of the high-level A400M talks today. But that doesn't mean the program is nearer to termination, either. It merely mean more time will pass before the future becomes known.

European government ministers and EADS officials discussing the fate of the A400M convened today in Berlin to work out new contract terms. But the meeting has ended with no agreement. However, the parties have promised to convene again tomorrow.

Whether a deal will be forthcoming then remains a big question. There is concern in industry that a deal may not yet be ready to emerge this week. The two sides remain several billion euros apart on who must bear the additional program costs.

Germany has been among the most difficult to convince to renegotiate the contract. One industry official believes the government needs more international pressure put on it, so it can go to parliament and make the case a contract revision is necessary.

Domani ..... chissà .....

[richelieu]

E gli Inglesi fanno le prove di carico .....

DATE: 21/01/10
SOURCE: Flight International

UK tests load capacity of A400M

By Craig Hoyle

The UK has conducted trial equipment loading work using a full-scale mock-up of the Airbus Military A400M's cargo hold, with the process having demonstrated how the type could carry two of the British Army's new armoured vehicle types.

Performed recently, the work involved a 20t Ridgeback 6 x 6 patrol vehicle and a Panther command and liaison vehicle weighing 6.3t. "There is room and payload left for either two cargo pallets on the ramp, 48 passengers and two pallets of baggage, or a Land Rover loaded to the ramp," the Ministry of Defence says.


© Crown Copyright
The two vehicles had a combined weight of over 26t

The A400M is required to have a useful cargo capacity of at least 32t under the terms of a seven-nation development and production contract signed in 2003. The UK is to receive 25 of the aircraft to replace its Lockheed Martin C-130Ks.


© Crown Copyright
The Ridgeback vehicle's 20t weight exceeds the C-130's cargo capacity

Airbus's fourth test aircraft, MSN004, will be the first A400M to have a production-representative cargo bay. Scheduled to fly for the first time in January 2011, it will be used for tasks including the development of cargo operations and procedures, with the work to be performed in Bremen, Germany.

[richelieu]

La prossima fase dei voli di collaudo si terrà in Francia .....

DATE: 22/01/10
SOURCE: Flight International

Airbus: 'zero major issues' from A400M flight tests

By Craig Hoyle


Airbus Military's first A400M has entered a roughly one-month modification period, after completing its first seven test flights and spending more than 30h in the air.

Work to prepare aircraft MSN001 for its next phase of flight-envelope proving activities should resume in mid-February, with the transport likely to be moved to its main test centre in Toulouse, France at the end of its next sortie.

"We are probably about 30% through our first phase of testing, and today there are zero major issues," says Fernando Alonso, Airbus's senior vice-president flight and integration test. Noting that the company's multinational test team has already cleared the A400M's normal flight envelope, he adds: "we have good foundations."

Airbus had originally hoped to log around 40 flight hours in the month following MSN001's 11 December first flight, but unusually poor weather conditions in Seville, Spain, restricted flight opportunities. The aircraft cannot currently be flown into clouds, or taxied through standing water, due to the strain gauges attached to its Ratier-Figeac propellers.

The programme's first of five flight test aircraft has so far been flown to an altitude of 34,000ft (10,400m) - 6,000ft below its planned maximum operating ceiling - and from stall warning to its top speed of 300kt (555km/h).

Sideslip testing to assess the behaviour of its airframe and propulsion system has been performed at up to 6° at 250kt and 15° at 130kt, with "blade stress and engine intake distortion well within limits", says Airbus chief test pilot military Ed Strongman.

"For the number of hours we've flown we've been tremendously productive," says Strongman. "We have collected a huge amount of data across a wide spectrum of the flight envelope."

Other work performed during recent flights has included extending the aircraft's emergency ram air turbine, and deploying its air data calibration equipment along a tail-housed trailing cone to assess the aerodynamic effects of various flap settings and landing gear positions.

Some buffeting has been encountered as the nose landing gear's front door is opened, and fixes previously implemented on the Airbus A340 and Beluga designs are being considered to rectify this. Disrupted airflow has also been found to affect the rear of the aircraft while its main landing gear is down.

The propulsion system's full authority digital engine control software has performed "quite well", according to Strongman, with a minor software problem which had affected one channel having been traced and a work-around procedure established. The aircraft's auxiliary power unit has also been used in flight to restart both the inboard and outboard engines, and pre-test concerns over its operating temperature have proved unfounded. The APU exhaust chimney above the starboard wing could be lowered, or removed entirely following the test results.

MSN001 has so far logged 311h of engine operations and over 130 engine starts, including while performing 40 rejected take-offs to gather data on the operation of the TP400 and the A400M's braking system.

Once it resumes testing, Alonso says the aircraft will begin to explore the "peripheral areas" of its handling qualities, including stall and deep stall investigations. It is currently being equipped with a rocket in its tail, which could be fired for around 5s if required to help its pilots recover it from a deep stall.

Other modifications to be introduced include replacing part of the rear nacelle above the Europrop International TP400-D6 engine's tail cone. This fix was successfully trialled on one engine during the sixth test flight to resolve an overheating issue encountered during some ground operations. A small structural and software change will also be made to enable the aircraft's cargo ramp to be opened during flight.

Meanwhile, MSN002 will be handed over to the flight test team in the third week of February, with the aircraft likely to fly for the first time by March.

[richelieu]

Si rivedranno martedi .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: More Talks Tuesday

Posted by Robert Wall at 1/22/2010 10:07 AM CST


If you want to know where things stand concerning the A400M's future after another round of talks, you might as well read yesterday's Ares blog post. It doesn't seem much progress was made today.

Government and industry officials are due to reconvene on Tuesday for the next round of talks on the future of the airlifter program.

A German defense official says there are ambitions to get things wrapped up this month, which EADS has been calling for.

The talks that unfolded in the past two days were "constructive," the German defense officials said, although both sides have committed not to divulge details.

[richelieu]

In attesa dell'incontro di domani .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

A400M Nations And Industry Remain Divided

Jan 25, 2010

By Douglas Barrie / London

A400M Partner nations and industry will meet again Jan. 26 as the two sides continue to try to thrash out a revised funding deal for the delayed military airlifter.

Talks were held in Berlin last week to try to resolve the cash impasse as to how the multibillion euro cost overrun on the Airbus Military A400M program will be handled. Airbus parent EADS is refusing to pick up all of the tab, while the partner nations’ public mantra has been to continue to support the program — though “not at any cost.”

Type certification for the A400M is now due at the end of 2011, with a notional entry into service of the end of 2012. Launch of series production is pencilled in for the end of 2010, with production ramping up between 2013 and the end of 2016.

The seven partner nations have a total of 180 aircraft on order, though this figure may change should the outcome of the negotiations prove successful. The U.K., for example, has provisionally ordered 25 A400Ms. Given the cost escalation, however, London’s eventual number may be between 14 and 19 aircraft.

Germany, the largest customer with 60 on order, has been pushing publicly for EADS to accept the brunt of the cost overruns on the fixed-price program, while senior management from the company has cautioned they would walk away from the program rather than take on punitive costs.

[richelieu]

Positiva la prima fase dei collaudi .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

First A400M Flight Phase Goes Well

Jan 25, 2010

By Douglas Barrie (Toulouse)


Airbus engineers are working on minor A400M airframe modifications and fixes to the engine control software as the manufacturer digests the broadly positive results of initial flight testing.

After more ground trials last week, the first prototype of the A400M military airlifter, MSN001, is back in the hangar. Work will include installing a rocket-recovery system in preparation to further assess the aircraft’s stall characteristics; small changes to the airframe also may be introduced.

Airbus Military aims to reenter flight testing in mid-February, following layup of the aircraft. It will be the first to be based at Toulouse. MSN002, the second prototype, will join the program next month, with handover now expected during the third week of February. The third aircraft will enter the flight-test program during the summer. Three test aircraft are to be based at Toulouse, with the remaining two at Seville, Spain.

On the political front government ministers from the partner nations and senior management from EADS and Airbus Military met in Berlin last week to try to resolve the thorny issue of how to finance the multibillion-euro cost overrun on the project. Prior to the meeting, Quentin Davies, the British minister for defense equipment and support, said the “only outstanding issue” between the two sides centered on providing “any additional funding.”

So far, the aircraft has flown seven times and logged 30 hr. 20 min., including its initial flight on Dec. 11. This is less than Airbus had anticipated, but the manufacturer had to contend with unusually wet and cold weather at its Seville site.

For initial flight trials, the prototype is fitted with strain gages on the propeller blades. Consequently, the aircraft was unable to fly in rain or icing conditions to avoid damage to the sensors.

Fernando Alonso, Airbus senior vice president for flight and integration testing, says the gages are being used to “measure local deformation,” allowing blade stress to be determined “throughout the flight envelope.”

The work during layup may include a change to the rear section of the engine nacelle to address an overheating issue that has come to light.

Ed Strongman, Airbus’s chief test pilot (military), says at the “rear end of the nacelle . . . the temperatures on the ground were excessive, particularly with low blade angles.” On the sixth flight, a trail installation, replacing the section of the rear nacelle that impinged into flow with a new shape resulted in “significantly improved margins.” This change will be introduced on all of MSN001’s nacelles.

The flight-test team also kept an eye on any temperature issues that might have arisen from hot-gas exhaust from the auxiliary power unit. “We were worried it could have an impact on skin temperature,” but it turned out not to be an issue on the ground or in flight.

This will allow for the exhaust gas “chimney” to be shortened, or to be removed altogether, yielding a benefit in terms of cruise drag.

The team also is managing an intermittent problem involving the full-authority digital engine control (Fadec). Development of the device has been difficult, although its performance so far has been generally good.

“The Fadec—after all we’ve done, and the ground testing—is actually working quite well,” says Strongman. “We’ve had some problems with compatibility with one or two other systems. The major one is that very occasionally we’ve had a rejection of one of the channels, which initially appeared to be due to a failure of the power supply. And then we thought it must be something to do with monitoring the power supply. With deeper analysis . . . the real problem is that there is a Fadec operating software incompatibility with one of the [processor] boards. This is another fix that we will have to do.”

This matter is not affecting the flight-test program, since a reset procedure has already been worked out. A fix will likely be included in the next interim standard software release. The anomaly occurred twice during flight test, including during the first flight, and once on the ground.

“Engine handling in the flight range is really good,” says Strongman, adding that inflight shutdowns and relights have been carried out.

Powerplant and airframe characteristics at high angles of sideslip also have been examined at various speeds and power settings, providing “an excellent set of tests,” says Strongman.

The flight envelope has now been opened up to 34,000 ft., with the aircraft having been flown at up to Mach 0.72. The aircraft will be capable of operating at up to 40,000 ft.

A further area that Airbus Military continues to address is buffet-related. At higher speeds with nose-gear deployment, the buffet is “more than we want,” says Strongman. The phenomenon occurs when the first of two pairs of nose-wheel doors is opened prior to that of the second; at this point, air rushes into the cavity. Airbus has dealt with this problem on other aircraft types, either through the use of strakes or by introducing small holes on the doors.

In the case of the main-gear deployment, he notes that there is a “small but irregular movement,” prompting Airbus to carry out additional aerodynamic analysis with a focus on the airflow around the rear section of the aircraft.

[richelieu]

Per ora ..... nessuna novità ..... ma ..... "stay tuned" .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Deadline Nears, Talks Drag On

Posted by Robert Wall at 1/27/2010 3:45 AM CST

Governments and industry debating the future of the Airbus Military A400M are on track to demonstrate that the duration it took to fix engine development problems is nothing when compared with the on-going set of negotiations.
Yesterday's meeting between the two sides -- well, it is more than two sides since the governments are split on their approach -- ended without conclusion. Talks are to resume soon. What soon means isn't clear, just that it will not be today, says a German defense official.
Where the next round of talks will take place also has yet to be settled.
EADS was pushing for a decision by February 1. That's still possible, although talks this week in London on Yemen and on Afghanistan could be a distraction. Of course, it also may be an opportunity for the top government leaders to come up with a more cohesive position on the sidelines of the Yemen/Afghanistan deliberations, which could accelerate the rate of progress on talks with industry.
As usual, stay tuned for more ...

[richelieu]

Intanto ..... in Giappone .....



..... un primo volo ..... tanto a lungo rinviato ..... che quasi ci si era dimenticati dello XC-2 .....

[richelieu]

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

Kawasaki XC-2 flies

The Kawasaki Heavy Industries XC-2, formerly C-X, made its first flight on Jan. 26. A rather well done video has been posted on YouTube.

The aircraft is of about the same size as the A400M and the old Lockheed C-141. The engines are GE CF6-80C2s and major airframe parts are shared with the Kawasaki XP-1 maritime patroller.

Surprisingly, that includes the wing. The designers adapted it to the different speed regimes of the two aircraft simply by altering the sweep angle.

The combined development cost of the two projects is reportedly 340 billion yen ($3.8 billion).

The Jan. 26 first flight was more than two years behind schedule as the airframe had to be strengthened after problems were discovered with its structural integrity.

The XC-2 (then C-X) was rolled out alongside Kawasaki's XP-1 (then P-X) maritime patrol aircraft in July 2007. The four-engined, low-wing XP-1 made its first flight in September 2007.

Although they look quite different, the two aircraft do share some degree of systems commonality. But whereas the XP-1 is powered by four indigenously developed IHI XF7-10 turbofans, the XC-2 has a pair of GE CF6-80C2s.

The C-2 will replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Kawasaki C-1s, while the P-1 will replace the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kawasaki-built P-3 Orions.

Kawasaki XC-2


Kawasaki XP-1

[87Nemesis87]

mazza...bellino pure il kawasaky ^___^

[richelieu]

Si ha l'impressione si tratti di un C-1 ..... pantografato .....

[87Nemesis87]

hai ragione sono molto simili

...grazie per le foto e i video ^___^

[richelieu]

I colloqui proseguiranno a Febbraio .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

A400M Talks Drag Into February

By Robert Wall (LONDON - Jan 29, 2010)


Despite urging by industry for talks on the future of the A400M military transport aircraft to be wrapped up this month, negotiations will continue in February.

After a series of talks in recent weeks failed to resolve differences over how to split the 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in additional cost required to see the program through, government and industry officials are to convene again in Berlin on Feb. 2 to settle the issue, a German defense ministry official said.

EADS this month said it needed an outcome soon, with a cash burn rate of more than 100 million euros per month on the program. Company officials have indicated they may be forced to walk away from the contract, although German government officials have dismissed those statements as a negotiating ploy.

Discussions about the program, now three years behind schedule, have been dragging on for 10 months.

[richelieu]

I governi hanno presentato la loro proposta ..... ora la mano passa ad EADS .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Over to You

Posted by Robert Wall at 2/16/2010 3:59 AM CST


The core A400M-buying countries have now delivered to industry their proposal on how to deal with the cost overruns on the multi-billion euro transport aircraft.

The governments have put to industry a joint proposal, which was delivered yesterday. Now it is for industry, largely EADS -- the single largest industrial stakeholder -- to decide whether to make a counter offer, accept the deal, or come up with some other plan.

The governments have not fully spelled out their joint proposal, but they do not plan to cover all of the cost overrun, although they are offering to absorb around 2 billion euros in additional costs and also provide loans as a financing bridge for industry to cover the rest.
But that still leaves EADS having to dig deeper into its own pockets, which the company has suggested it is unwilling to do since it is already taking losses on the program.

Some of the program development activity could also be revised, effectively stretching out the time to full completion, but lowering the near-term costs.

For EADS, the government proposal represents a difficult choice from a financial perspective. Under the original contract terms, it was clear that the company was financially better off (or less badly off) by cancelling the program rather than continuing and absorbing all the cost overruns. Now the cost to completion is lower than the cost of walking away from the deal, but the cost is still high.
Obviously EADS boss Louis Gallois has other things to weigh, including the long-term relationship with his primary customers.

[richelieu]

..... ed EADS accusa ricevuta .....

DATE: 17/02/10
SOURCE: Flight International

EADS: letter from A400M nations an 'important step'

By Craig Hoyle

EADS has broken its silence over the progress made during protracted negotiations with the seven European launch customers for its Airbus Military A400M transport, after what it describes as "unsolicited press reports" about the project.

In a statement released on 17 February, the company says: "EADS confirms that it has received a letter from the customer nations of the A400M programme, summarising the status of the negotiations and proposing a number of changes to the initial contract."

The document does not represent a draft proposal for a new contract, it continues, and adds that "the company wishes to get further clarification on several items, and certain points are left open for later discussion".

Its statement describes the letter as representing "an important step towards convergence", but it fails to provide any specifics on possible areas of compromise between the manufacturer and its customers in brokering a new contract for the 180-aircraft deal.

Originally worth a fixed €20 billion ($27 billion) for development and production activities, the A400M deal has been at risk since late last year, despite the type having made its delayed first flight on 11 December. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that a solution could hinge on the provision of state loans and changes to aircraft specifications.

EADS plans to make a new provision against the troubled project in its 2009 financial results, but says that for now "it is too early to draw financial conclusions", or "determine the level of the A400M provision it will need to charge".

The company had threatened to halt work on the A400M at the end of last year, and again on 31 January, but is continuing to prepare aircraft MSN001 for its eighth test flight, and to ready second test example MSN002 for its debut sortie.

..... voce del verbo "rimpallare" .....
.....

[richelieu]

Il gioco continua .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Resolution Still PendingPosted by Robert Wall at 2/18/2010 11:44 AM CST

It now looks like it will be at least next week before there's any resolution to the question of how A400M customers and EADS will move forward on the program and split the more than 5 billion euros in cost overruns they are fighting over.
The ball is back in the governments court, after they made a proposal to industry and EADS responded with follow-up questions.
French military officials indicate they expect progress next week; the boss of Daimler -- one of EADS's principal shareholders -- said today that he expects things to be settled in the next two weeks. That should just leave enough time for EADS to include additional A400M-related charges in its 2009 accounts, due to be published March 9.
Meanwhile, after undergoing some planned maintenance, the first A400M flight test aircraft is about ready to resume flight operations. One of its first stops will be Toulouse, to finally inaugurate the second flight test site. All flights to date have taken place from Seville, where the aircraft is assembled.

[richelieu]

Loro ci provano ..... ma dubito otterranno qualcosa .....

DATE: 19/02/10
SOURCE: Flight International

EADS: USAF can buy 118 A400Ms with savings from C-130, C-5 retirements

By Stephen Trimble


EADS North America has offered a plan for the US Air Force to purchase 118 Airbus A400Ms using savings from retiring most Lockheed Martin C-130Hs and all C-5As.

The EADS proposal was submitted last year to the Air Mobility Command (AMC) upon their request, says Neil F. Smith, director of A400M programme for EADS NA.

The concept proposes to stand-up about eight squadrons of A400Ms within the US mobility force structure, Smith says. "We get a very good reception" at AMC, Smith says.

EADS has been seeking to introduce the A400M in the US market for several years, arguing that the increasing size of ground vehicles has out-grown the box size of Lockheed's C-130. The A400M features a 3.96m (13ft) cabin diameter, versus the C-130 family's 2.74m-wide cargo bay.

The size difference would allow the army to load an armoured Stryker vehicle on the A400M, Smith says.

In response, a Lockheed executive challenged EADS' assumptions about the cost of the A400M, especially with the programme currently in negotiations with European governments over a reportedly $7 billion cost overrun.

"I think that's the ultimate in fuzzy math," says Jim Grant, Lockheed vice president of business development for air mobility and special operations programmes.

Despite the ongoing uncertainty about the programme's financing, EADS plans to continue making a big push in the US market. One of the programme's test aircraft could even travel to the US in early 2011 for a marketing tour, the company says.

EADS NA also believes it will need to partner with a major US prime contractor to be successful with the A400M proposal. The company has already partnered with Northrop to offer the KC-45 tanker and with Lockheed with the AS645 helicopter. EADS also would even consider partnering with Boeing to bring the A400M into the US market, Smith says.

Another concept under review is to bring the Europrop consortium's TP400 engine manufacturing into the US market, as well. Smith noted that Rolls-Royce, a member of the Europrop consortium, has established an engine manufacturing plant in Richmond, Virginia, with extra capacity. That production facility could be used as a domestic source for TP400 production.

..... dal momento che l'attuale tendenza dell'amministrazione Obama sembra fortemente indirizzata verso una robusta politica di "buy American" (vedansi gli esiti dei programmi VH-71 e KC-45) .....

[richelieu]

Domani i governi parleranno .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Tomorrow May Be D-Day

Posted by Robert Wall at 2/24/2010 8:00 AM CST


European governments are signalling that tomorrow they will spell out the way forward for the A400M military air transport and how to deal with the billions of euros in cost overruns the program is suffering.

However, what's not clear, yet, is whether all the details have really been ironed out, or whether governments are looking to take their position public -- it previously was provided to industry without revealing details to taxpayers -- in an effort to pressure EADS to sign up to those terms. The company had indicated last week that it still had questions about some of the elements of the government plan.

Time is running short, though, for EADS to include any agreement in its 2009 books, which are due to be made public on March 9 in Paris.

Between the pending A400M announcement from European governments and the Pentagon's plan to reveal details of its KC-X tanker request for proposal -- where EADS (with Northrop Grumman) wants to propose the Airbus A330 -- the European aerospace and defense giant confronts a potentially business-shaping 24 hours.

Between the pending A400M announcement from European governments and the Pentagon's plan to reveal details of its KC-X tanker request for proposal -- where EADS (with Northrop Grumman) wants to propose the Airbus A330 -- the European aerospace and defense giant confronts a potentially business-shaping 24 hours.

[richelieu]

Raggiunto un accordo ? .....

Fonte: euronews.net

A400M rescue agreement reached

24/02 17:51 CET


An agreement in principle has been reached to rescue the troubled Airbus project A400M military transport.

Spain’s defence minister said the governments that are buying the aircraft will go ahead with a rescue deal.

The alternative was to abandon Europe’s largest defence project, which has suffered spiralling costs and delays.

Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey will issue a declaration of support for the project and Airbus’s parent EADS will get 3.5 billion euros to set against its losses.

The deal will leave EADS with losses of 1.7 billion euros on top of 2.4 billion already written off.

The aerospace group had wanted more than t3.5 billion and even threatened to abandon the project if it did not get that.

[richelieu]

Lo sforzo continua .....

DATE: 26/02/10
SOURCE: Flightglobal.com

OCCAR: 'Significant progress' made in talks to save A400M

By Craig Hoyle


All seven European partners involved in the Airbus Military A400M programme have agreed in principle to continue with the development effort, according to the OCCAR procurement agency responsible for resolving a long-running contractual crisis with EADS.

“Defence ministers consider that significant progress has been achieved during the negotiations with industry. Nations have made an offer to the industry and after having received a letter in response from EADS, it will be evaluated,” the multinational agency says.

“The A400M is the most ambitious military procurement programme in Europe and represents a cornerstone of the European technological base and a significant enabler for the common European security and defence policy,” it adds.

Talks to save the A400M project have been running since August 2009, with these focused on factors including “adjustments to the programme and delivery schedule and [aircraft] specification to meet operational needs”, says OCCAR.

Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK are scheduled to receive a total of 180 A400Ms under the terms of their €20 billion ($27.3 billion) fixed-price development and production contract signed in May 2003.

EADS has requested a new contract and more money in order to complete the project, which has been the subject of development delays.

[richelieu]

Accordo di massima .....

DATE: 05/03/10
SOURCE: Flight International

EADS strikes deal with A400M customers

By Niall O’Keeffe


EADS and the customers for its A400M military transport have reached a "principle agreement" to amend the contract governing the programme, the manufacturer has revealed.

The contract is to be amended "in the coming weeks", says EADS.

An EADS statement sets out four commitments made by the customer nations within the terms of the principle agreement.

The nations will increase the price to be paid by €2 billion ($2.7 billion). They will waive all liquidated damages related to current delays. They will provide an additional amount of €1.5 billion in "export levy facilities" to ensure their participation in future export sales. Finally, they will accelerate pre-delivery payments in the period of 2010 to 2014.

A new schedule of pre-delivery payments will be finalised in the amended contract.

Based on the agreement, EADS has increased its A400M loss provision to €1.8 billion, pre-tax, for the full year 2009. As a result, EADS expects pre-tax profit and net income to be negative in 2009. The full-year results are to be disclosed on 9 March.

"The A400M cash flow profile for the coming years is still to be negotiated in the contract amendment," says EADS. "All parties are willing to mitigate negative cash impacts as far as possible. EADS considers that this agreement provides a sound basis for a successful evolution of the A400M programme."

[richelieu]

Così viene riportata la notizia oltre Atlantico .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: The Bailout Package

Posted by Robert Wall at 3/5/2010 11:16 AM CST


After a year of talks, we now have the agreement between EADS and A400M-buying governments on how to cover the multi-billion euro cost overrun on the formerly 20 billion euro military transport program.

Under the terms just announced, governments will put in another 3.5 billion euros, at least. Most of that, 2 billion euros, is a direct adjustment to the scope of the contract. Another 1.5 billion is effectively treated as money made available now that would be recouped as A400M export contracts are booked. Presumably if exports don't cover the total, it is money simply lost to the taxpayer.

Governments will also provide accelerated pre-delivery payments through 2014. That will help EADS's cash flow at a time the company also needs financial resources for various other efforts, including the increasing development bill associated with the A350 twin-widebody.

EADS is having to take another earnings charge, although the 1.8 billion euros to be booked when earnings are released next week is less than expected.

There are still some issues to be worked out, but the big issues now appear settled.

[MarcoGT]

Bene così

[JT8D]

Articolo apparso oggi su dedalonews :

http://www.dedalonews.it/it/index.php/0 ... -in-rosso/

Paolo

[richelieu]

Articolo apparso oggi su dedalonews :

http://www.dedalonews.it/it/index.php/0 ... -in-rosso/

Paolo

Meglio tardi ..... che mai .....

[richelieu]

Il prototipo è arrivato a Tolosa .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M: Welcome To Toulouse

Posted by Robert Wall at 3/10/2010 9:45 AM CST


The A400M has now made its way to Toulouse, its second flight test home:

Getting to Toulouse has taken longer than planned. Bad weather in Seville and the fact that MSN001 is still fitted with sensors that are sensitive to moisture have combined to keep the event from happening earlier. At one point, the hope was to achieve the milestone in December.

Airbus Military will run split-based flight test operations throughout the flight test campaign; it also has full telemetry centers at each site. Those are configured to allow engineers in Toulouse to receive data from aircraft testing in Spain and those in Seville have access to data from testing in France.

The next flight test milestones also loom for the program: MSN002 is being readied for its first flight, and MSN003 is in ground testing in preparation for handover to the flight test department.
EADS boss Louis Gallois says the flight tests to date have validated the airlifter's aerodynamic performance.

Under the restructuring plan agreed to last week, the first customer handover is now targeted for early 2013 (a tad later than the three years from first flight initially advertised).

[AlphaSierra]

oui oui!!
http://aviapassion.forumactif.com/sud-o ... -t9372.htm

[richelieu]

Grazie ..... AlphaSierra .....
..... non conoscevo quel forum ..... foto molto belle ..... ma quanto orgoglio francese trasuda da quei commenti .....

..... quelle belle silhouette cet A400 .....

..... mais quel magnifique avion .....

..... Quelles merveilles les hélices! .....

..... de toute beauté ! Je suis toujours étonné par ce nombres de pâles !! J'aimerai bien me trouver dans la voiture qui escorte cette masse .....


..... merci eric ! ca me situe mieux le bestiau . 2 générations différentes . espérons que l'A400 aura le meme succès que l'hercules .....

..... eh si ..... quelle eliche sono proprio una meraviglia .....

..... e, mi voglio rovinare, aggiungo un'altra risata alle tue .....

[richelieu]

EADS è fiduciosa .....

DATE: 12/03/10
SOURCE: Flight International

EADS confident on A400M exports after rescue deal

By Murdo Morrison


Weeks ago, EADS bosses were warning that without a bail-out the troubled A400M programme could sink Airbus. Now, following a 5 March agreement in principle with the seven government customers, the European company claims the airlifter will replace Lockheed Martin's C-130 as the world's military transport of choice.

"The export potential is huge," says EADS chief executive Louis Gallois. "I think we could reach 400-500 in the next 20 years."

Gallois says negotiations are taking place with South Africa, one of two non-European customers - along with Chile - to cancel commitments. "We will give you an update in a few weeks," he said following the EADS annual results presentation in Paris on 9 March. Pretoria pulled its contract for eight aircraft in November citing delays and rising costs.


© Airbus Military - Aircraft MSN001 left Seville for Toulouse on 4 March

The new deal commits the seven original customers - Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK - to pay EADS an additional €2 billion ($2.74 billion), waive all liquidated damages related to the delays and provide a further €1.5 billion in exchange for a share of export sales.

Details have still to be agreed as to how the extra cost will be shared among the countries, although Gallois said it would likely be allocated according to aircraft commitments. Under the deal, nations can drop a total of 10 of the 180 A400Ms on firm order, although Gallois expects delivery schedules to remain intact, with the first aircraft handed over in July 2013.

The size of the export levy paid to the governments is also unclear, but Gallois insisted it will not be so high that the aircraft becomes uncompetitive. "We have agreed that the levy should not put a brake on exports. We have a common interest: nations have to get their levies and we have to make profit," he said.

He added that negotiations with suppliers to recover some of the costs incurred by the failure to integrate on time key equipment - including the Europrop TP400-D6 engine - "will take years".

Gallois denies that the A400M programme, which is three years behind its original schedule, has been a "disaster", saying: "Give me an example of any military equipment which has been delivered with less than a three-year delay. It is not a bad performance. I am not proud of it, but 10 years is the benchmark in our business."

EADS blames many of the programme's problems on an "unrealistic" price and supplier workshare contracts agreed in the original contract.


© Airbus Military - The European programme's second A400M (above) should fly 'within days'


The first A400M (MSN001) flew from Seville to Toulouse on 4 March in its tenth sortie since its maiden flight on 11 December. The second test aircraft will fly "within days", while the third is undergoing final production ground tests before engine installation and will take to the air by the middle of the year.

The fourth test aircraft, now in final assembly at Seville, will join them in the second half of 2010.

[AlphaSierra]

eh vabbe si sa come sono i francesi

[richelieu]

Ci vorranno parecchi mesi .....

Fonte: AviationWeek.com

Settling A400M Contract Issues To Take Months

By Robert Wall
Paris (Mar 15, 2010)


Europe’s efforts to stabilize the Airbus Military A400M development and production program are far from finalized even though industry and the seven countries backing the program have agreed on a new financing scheme to cover several billion euros in cost overruns.

There are still many difficult issues to be resolved, including exactly how many airlifters each country is buying, how to allocate €1.5 billion ($2 billion) in export levy facilities, and how to determine legal liabilities between the prime contractor and its suppliers.

Among those legal claims and counterclaims is a dispute over €500 million between Airbus and the Europrop International engine consortium. EADS Chief Financial Officer Hans-Peter Ring hopes this dispute and others can be resolved amicably now that the program is being reset. Still, EADS CEO Louis Gallois warns those discussions could drag out well beyond 2011.

Although the legal claims go beyond the engine, that battle could be the most contentious and is expected to again put the spotlight on late delivery of the full-authority digital engine control (Fadec). Sources in the engine consortium say Airbus was tardy in delivering data needed for Fadec development and still owes the engine providers progress payments. The extent to which the claims may cancel each other out is also unclear.

Suppliers who have delivered on time but been hit financially because of the overall program delay also want compensation. “We have incurred an enormous amount of self-funded development costs,” says Ruediger Fox, managing director of PFW Aerospace, based in Speyer, Germany, that produces freight-loading systems and cabin floor structures for the A400M. Fox suggests that some of the new funding provided by governments be dispersed throughout the supply chain, rather than just to EADS. In PFW’s case, additional money would make up for the significant financing cost incurred to bridge three years without program revenues.

“At the end of the day, I believe we will get back the money we spent on the A400M. But it will not be a financial success story for us or anybody else,” says Fox. Nevertheless, he looks forward to the aircraft enjoying significant export demand.

Under the agreement hammered out after almost a year of negotiations, the seven core A400M-buying countries (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg) will provide another €2 billion to the €20-billion program, as well as €1.5 billion in export levies that are to be recouped on exports. Government and industry officials put the export potential at 300 units, and Gallois suggests intense talks are underway with South Africa to get the former export customer back on board, after Pretoria dropped its eight-aircraft order last year.

EADS will take a €4-billion loss on the core 180 airlifter program, with another €1.8 billion in provisions taken as part of the company’s 2009 earnings released last week (the figure drove EADS to a net loss of €763 million for the year). Auditors identified another €3.6 billion in program risk, but Gallois believes program management changes will circumvent those.

To help EADS’s cash flow, the countries have also agreed to accelerate predelivery payments between 2010-14, although the value of those payments has not been fully defined. While delay penalties on the order of €1.2 billion owed by EADS also have been waived, new ones could materialize if the program fails to meet the revised schedule, which should see France receive its first A400M in 2013.

One of the tricky issues that now needs to be settled is how many units each country will actually buy. EADS concedes that some adjustment in numbers is likely but has urged customers to limit their reductions to no more than 10 aircraft to avoid affecting unit price. French Defense Minister Herve Morin says Paris remains committed to taking 50 airlifters.

The U.K., however, has long signaled it wants to reduce its total by 25, although now the reduction is expected to be just 2-5 aircraft. Germany also is mulling its options. A German defense ministry official says it could be several weeks or even months before the country settles its total. Germany is the largest customer, having signed up for 60 aircraft.

Also still under review is division of the €1.5 billion in export levies between the partners as well as the repayment scheme. The size of the royalty payment per aircraft and the number of exports over which the total must be amortized is being resolved, Ring says. A key concern is to ensure the royalty payment does not drive up the unit price so much as to stifle exports.

How the governments will finance the export levy also is still an open question. Morin indicates that France may issue a special bond or draw funds from a bond issue that was agreed to last year, even though it was focused on funding aerospace projects with an environmental focus. France plans to provide €400 million, roughly representing its share of the total A400M buy, although there is no direct linkage between national contributions and procurement plans.

Another concern is that the €3.5 billion injected into the program will not cover the full set of certification requirements. The extra money merely pays for civil certification. Anything that has to do with military certification would cost more, industry officials say, noting that the real challenges involve military equipment.

France says it expects to have seven A400Ms in hand by the end of 2014, with 35 more by 2020 and all deliveries complete in 2024. Germany would receive its first airlifter in 2014.

A phased-in service introduction is planned, with an initial operational capability focused on tactical transport capability. Additional features will be introduced through three service standards, largely representing enhanced software modes.

Meanwhile, Airbus Military is trying to continue technical development of the airlifter. Gallois says tests to date, with more than 40 flight-test hours logged on MSN1, have validated the airframe, and attention is now shifting more to assessing system performance.

Airbus has also now brought the A400M to Toulouse, and is splitting flight-testing between Seville and Toulouse, in part to meet contractual workshare requirements between Spain and France. The ferry flight came several weeks later than planned, as test conditions were hampered by poor weather in Seville. Late last week, a second aircraft was poised to join the flight-test program, with MSN3 undergoing ground trials.

[richelieu]

Per favore ..... cancellate la cancellazione .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

Airbus Military in close talks with S.Africa re A 400M

Posted by Christina Mackenzie at 3/16/2010 3:48 PM CDT


It must be sheer relief that Airbus Military, the company he heads, can now get on with the job of building A400Ms rather than talking about it, that put Domingo Ureña-Raso in such jovial mood in a chat over croissants and coffee with journalists Monday morning.
You may remember that South Africa had signed up to buy eight A400Ms until the government cancelled the contract last December. But several South African companies are key sub-contractors, providing parts for all the A400Ms so I was particularly interested to hear how EADS, Airbus Military's mother company, is handling this situation.

Ureña-Raso said that “South Africa is a key country for us and a client of reference. We are continuing to talk with the government to see what alternatives can be found. And of course we are continuing to work with our suppliers. It's not just because a country has cancelled that we will cancel the work package. We have not taken any action against our two South African suppliers,” he said, adding with a grin “so I hope that they will deliver on time!”

Together with Malaysia, South Africa had a privileged status, not just as an export partner but as a member. “South Africa would not be treated as a simple export customer because it participated in OCCAR (the pan-European procurement agency) on the development and definition phase of the aircraft,” Ureña-Raso said.



Could the A400M land on top of Table Top Mountain, I wonder?

(photo credit: Christina Mackenzie)

[richelieu]

Realtà e ..... sogni .....

Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)

A400M export schedule

Posted by Christina Mackenzie at 3/16/2010 4:47 PM CDT


For the next few months Airbus Military will concentrate on ensuring that the A400Ms flight testing is ramped up: it is somewhat behind schedule because Seville, in southern Spain, where the final assembly line for the A400M is, has suffered its worst winter rains in 75 years (there's even been snow) and sensors to check that the first aircraft is flying as its conceptors designed it to are very sensitive to humidity!

“But the second plane will be able to fly in any type of weather!” Domingo Ureña-Raso, Airbus Military CEO remarked over a breakfast with journalists on Monday.

“We are dedicating the first half of this year to ensuring the supply for our seven customer nations,” he said, “but we are preparing our export campaigns which we will launch during the second semester.” Would Airbus Military have the time to build aircraft for export in its busy schedule to deliver the 180 aircraft it has to deliver to the seven nations? I wondered.

“We could export some of the aircraft originally scheduled for delivery to some of these seven nations,” he responded. “It is not forbidden and our seven clients are just as interested in exporting these as we are.” Obviously, because Airbus Military will pay an export levy to the seven nations to reimburse the loan it has been given by them. So, basically, the faster the aircraft are exported, the quicker the loan will be reimbursed.

And yes, despite recent disappointments over the infamous US Air Force tanker contract, Airbus Military will be touting the A400M in the United States. Perhaps the USAir Force could just use the A400M as its tanker aircraft. After all, it does have refuelling capacity.

By 2016 Airbus Military plans to be producing two aircraft a month “although we can push this to two and a half if necessary,” Ureña-Raso said. In 2013 it will build four aircraft; in 2014 it will make eight and in 2015 it will ramp up so that it can be producing 24 a year by 2016.

Oh, yes, and for those of our readers who like to know about prices, comparisons etc:

Airbus Military says that it would take 22 C-130Js to do the same job in tons delivered x distance flown as 10 A400Ms. The 22 C-30Js would cost about 60% more than the 10 A400Ms. Alternatively you could have a combined fleet of 12 C-130Js + 2 C-17s to do the same job as the 10 A400Ms. In that case your combined fleet would cost 25% more than the A400Ms.

[87Nemesis87]

se vabbè....non succederà mai

...piuttosto ne costruiscono da zero uno loro

[SuperMau]

Ma, non sono cosi sicuro che non succedera' mai...
Per il 330 MRTT, la Boeing ha fatto di tutto per tenere fuori AB, anche se Obama e il congresso stanno gia' storcendo il naso per via di avere alla fine un solo source, che vuol dire controllo monopolizzato totale.

Per il 400M le cose io le vedo un po' differenti, primo perche' il C130 e' Lockeed e non Boeing, secondo perche' comunque la si voglia vedere la macchina (il 400) e' MOOOOOLTO superiore al C130, e terzo (che puo' essere politicamente molto pesante in USA), niente vieta (visto cosa e' successo con l' MRTT) una alleanza Lockeed-Airbus con il beneplacito di Northrop, il che porterebbe a questo punto Airbus in condizione di essere "sole source"per questo tipo di trasporto (visto che il C17 ha un profilo di missione completamente diverso)......Giusto ?