Mon, Dec 04, 2006
Electrical Harnesses May Pose Problems Ahead
Aero-News has learned the two month-review of the Airbus A400M
program, mandated by the CEOs of European Aeronautic Defense and
Space Co. (EADS) in September, was completed last week through
presentations to Europe's Organisation Conjointe de
Coopération en matière d'ARmement (OCCAR) and the
Board of Directors at EADS.
Airbus reports that overall, the review validated that the A400M
program is currently progressing according to the contractually
agreed schedule. However, EADS states several "significant"
challenges lie ahead before the first delivery of the military-spec
turboprop transport in 2009.
Those risk areas include systems design, and in particular
electrical harnesses; maturity of military mission systems; engine
modifications; and remaining work to be done on the Final Assembly
Line.
The European planemaker called the review the most comprehensive
assessment ever done on an EADS development program. The review
team -- which incorporated external experts and "veterans" from the
A380 review of last summer -- conducted intensive program
management and floor level interviews, industrial site visits and
data analysis, capitalizing on reference data from the A380 and
other programs as far as applicable.
The review team has proposed detailed mitigating actions to
comply with the delivery schedule committed to customers. These
actions were endorsed by the CEOs of EADS and the Board of
Directors.
Implementation will be followed by EADS Co-CEOs Louis Gallois
and Thomas Enders personally, on a bimonthly basis.
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