Calls Schedule Change In Initial Delivery Plan 'Slight'

Airbus Military has reconfirmed that it will deliver the first four new generation A400M airlifters to customers in 2013 as planned, following the development of solutions to the recent engine issue, which prevented the A400M from participating in the Farnborough Air Show flying display.

Airbus engineers have been working through an engine issue on MSN6, the first production representative development aircraft. After receiving the Restricted Type Certificate (RTC) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) last April, representing a big milestone and achievement in the program, MSN6 started performing the 300 hour Function and Reliability (F&R) testing required for the award of the full Type Certificate (TC). Tests had to be suspended after 160 hours of F&R flying because of the repeated detection of metallic chips in the oil system of one of the engines.

Airbus Military has supported the engine manufacturer Europrop International (EPI) in its investigations of the root cause and fixes. EPI’s investigations have demonstrated that the failure does not impact the engines’ full capabilities and that the chip detection was caused by a crack in a cover plate, a mechanical piece isolating elements within the Propeller Gear Box (PGB). EPI has already made a new design available, which is currently in the validation process.

Airbus Military says the MSN6 engines as well as all series production engines have been sent back to EPI for replacement of this cover plate. It is reportedly working with EPI on a plan to minimize the lead-time of the cover plate replacement in order to resume the F&R flying as soon as possible. F&R activity will be able to restart when MSN6 is fitted with the modified engines and upon agreement with EASA of a new F&R plan.

As a consequence, the civil Type Certification and military Initial Operating Capability (IOC) will now move into the first quarter of next year, followed by first delivery to the French Air Force (MSN7) in the second quarter of 2013. Despite this, Airbus says it will be able to maintain the overall delivery plan of four aircraft in 2013. There is a slight impact on the delivery of the second French aircraft (MSN8) while MSN9 (the first Turkish aircraft) and MSN10 (the third for France) will remain on schedule with delivery before the end of 2013. Other deliveries in 2014 and beyond will continue as planned.

“We are working very hard to reduce the lead-time on these replacements to allow Airbus Military to resume the flight test as soon as possible and continue the series production as planned," said EPI President Simon Henley.

Airbus Military says flight testing outside the F&R program is progressing well, focusing primarily on military capabilities and systems, and the Grizzly development aircraft fleet has now completed more than 3,700 hours in nearly 1,250 flights.

Industrially, the first three customer aircraft are now in the final assembly process in Seville and a further ten aircraft are in various stages of production with long-lead items launched up to MSN23 and advancing according to plan.

(A400M images provided by Airbus)

FMI: www.eads.com