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Airbus Military A400MType (Muster)Military transport (taktischer Militärtransporter mit großer Reichweite) Country (Land) Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom Manufacturer (Hersteller) Airbus Military 15 Avenue Didier Daurat 31707 Blagnac Cedex France Phone: 0033-56/193-3986 Fax: 0033-56/211-0611 Internet: www.airbusmilitary.com Airbus Military is now a Sociedad Limitada with a capital of 3101 Euros, registered at 404 Avenida de Aragon, 28022 Madrid, Spain. Shareholders are Airbus itself (69,44 %), FLABEL (4,44 %), Tusas Aerospace Indursties (5,56 %), EADS CASA (20,56 %). Previously, AMC was officially established in January 1999 as a Societé par Actions Simplifiée, with Airbus itself as the majoritiy shareholder (64 %). The other participants were EADS (Aérospatiale Matra, Dasa and CASA; 25,5 %), Flabel (Belgium; 4 %) OGMA (Portugal; 1,5 %) and Tusas Aerospace Industries (TAI, Turkey; 5 %). General (Allgemeine Angaben) Crew (Besatzung): 2 (+ loadmaster) Freight (Fracht): All sorts of cargo, including alternatively
Power (Leistung): 8200 kW (11000 shp) Propeller diameter (Propellerdurchmesser): 5,2 m, eight blades The TP400-D6 was choosen in preference of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW180 (based on the PW800 gas generator). Earlier in the A400M programme, the Aero Propulsion Alliance, a European consortium formed by Fiat Avio (8 %), ITP (13,6 %), MTU (24,8 %), Rolls-Royce (24,8 %), Snecma (24,8 %) and Techspace Aero (4 %) was choosen to supply the TP400. The competition was later reopened. Previouly, another offer by Pratt & Whitney was eliminated. Beside the TP400, candidates were the Turboprop International (Snecma/MTU/ITP/Fiat) M138, derived from the M88 core and the BMW Rolls-Royce BR715TP, derived from the BR710 turbofan Dimensions (Abmessungen) Length (Länge): 42,2 m Height (Höhe): 14,73 m Span (Spannweite): 42,36 m Wing area (Flügelfläche): 221,5 sq m Cargo hold width (Frachtraumbreite): 4,00 m Cargo hold height (Frachtraumhöhe): 3,85 m Cargo hold length (Frachtraumlänge): 17,71 m or 23,11 m including ramp Floor area (Bodenfläche): 92 sq m including ramp Cargo Volume (Frachtraumvolumen): 356 cu m Weights (Massen) Operating empty weight (Leermasse): around 66500 kg Payload (Nutzlast): 31500 kg (for 2.5 g manoeuvres) Max. payload (Überlast): 37000 kg (at 2,25 g manoeuvres) Max. fuel (max. Kraftstoff): ca. 64030 litres Max. zero fuel weight (max. Masse ohne Kraftstoff): 98000 to 103500 kg Max. take-off weight (Max. Startmasse): 126500 kg for a tactical mission at 2.5g or 130000 kg for logistics mission (2,25 g) Max. landing weight (max. Landemasse): 114000 kg Performance (Flugleistungen) High-speed cruise (Reisegeschwindigkeit): Mach 0.68 – Mach 0.72 Airdrop speed: 130 kts Initial cruise altitude (Anfangs-Reiseflughöhe): ca. 29000 ft (8840 m) at max. take-off weight Cruise ceiling (Reiseflughöhe): 37000 ft Max. speed at low level, tactical mission (max. Geschw. in niedriger Höhe): 555 km/h Take-off field length (Startstrecke): 1000 m at 100 tons, 1500 m at 120 tons Landing distance (Landestrecke): 650 m with 24 tons payload (tactical operations) Range (Reichweite): - 6575 km (3550 NM) with 20 tons payload - 4540 km (2450 NM) with a 30 ton payload Ferry range (Überführungsreichweite): 9075 km (4900 NM) Endurance (Einsatzdauer): 6 hrs (Stunden) on patrol 1000 NM (1800 km) from base (proposed maritime patrol variant). Costs (Kosten) Airbus still claims a unit flyaway cost of 85 million Euro. In reality, the "total commitment of the participants” for the 180 aircraft order signed in May 2003 "is about 20 billion Euros”, i.e. 111 million Euros per aircraft. In Germany, the total price of 60 aircraft was given as 8,332 billion Euros, which includes some 680 million Euros of financing costs to defer payments until deliveries start in 2010. The systems price per aircraft (including infrastructure, spare parts, ground equipment etc.) was given as 127,53 million Euros. The contract signed in December 2001 for 196 aircraft was said to be worth some 18 billion Euro. This translated into a systems price per A400M of 92 million Euro. In Germany, defence minister Scharping stated in December 2001 that the basic price was 95 million Euro per basic aircraft. With more equipment it was 106 million Euro, and adding spares, training and simulators, it then got up to 111 million Euro while total cost with some other items should have been 116,67 million Euro, equating to programme costs of 8,517 billion Euro (prices at 12/2000) At the time of the Farnborough Air show in July 2000, it was said that the 225 aircraft commited to would cost around 20 billion Euros do develop and deliver. That meant a price of around 89 million Euro per aircraft. In early 1999, a total programme cost of 150 billion FF (25,85 billion US-Dollars) was mentioned, coming out to nearly 90 million US-Dollars per aircraft. Customers (Kunden) On 27 May 2003, the final contract (encompassing development and production) was signed between OCCAR and Airbus Military at Bonn. The 180 orders are split as follows:
Competitors (Konkurrenz) Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules Antonow An-70 Remarks (Bemerkungen) The A400M, until January 1999 known as the FLA (Future Large Aircraft), is Airbus´ offer for a new military transport for European NATO nations, replacing C160 Transalls and C-130 Hercules which have an average age of over 25 years in service and get ever more expensive to sustain. To fulfill both tactical and logistics missions, the A400M responds to requirements like:
Airbus Military plans to tap into the Airbus resources, using commercial practices wherever feasible and fitting airliner-proven systems when practicable. The cockpit for example is based on Airbus experience, featuring sidesticks and large multifunction displays as well as a Head-up-Display as primary flight instrument. "Strategic” workshares will be allocated along the lines of the expierence centers of the civil Airbus products, that is:
Besides the basic transport version Airbus Military foresees tanker variants and will use the A400M as a platform for special mission fits. At the time of contract signature, EADS claimed that the A400M will create or secure 40000 jobs in Europe. In Germany, claims were 3300 direct employement and 7150 indirect employment. The TP400-D6 engine of the A400M is the most powerful tuboprop ever developed in the western world. It will be supplied by EuroProp International, a consortium of European engine companies. It is a three-shaft design. Workshares are as follows:
History (Geschichte) The European military transport programme is struggling to get off the ground since the mid-80s, with nations less than eager to contribute funds. A European Staff Requirement was finally signed by the seven nations during the second half of 1996, followed by an informal Request for Proposals in September 1997. Complicating factors like the US offer of C-130Js and/or C-17s and the German interest in the Antonov An-70 then delayed progress once more. It was not until 29. January 1999 that definitive fixed-price bids for the A400M were submitted to the interested nations. Airbus Military claims that the A400M is the only aircraft that exactly and fully meets the ESR. Nevertheless, some countries also got competing offers at the same time. A thorough appraisal of these was taking place during the year. To make its offer more attractive, Airbus Military in October revealed that it would cover up to 25 per cent of R&D costs itself. Although a choice of aircraft type had been hoped for by the end of 1999, the various defence ministries did play a waiting game to see who decides first. Finally, the UK MoD came out in favour of the A400M on 16 May 2000, stating that it would take 25, subject to acceptable pricing and delivery timeframes. On 9. June 2000, Germany and France declared their intention during a summit meeting at Mainz. This came after long deliberations in the German defence ministry, where studies by the military had found the Antonow An-7X as a superior and cheaper solution. But on the political level, a commitment to Europe was preferred. At the Farnborough Air Show on 27 July 2000, the seven defence ministers met and signed a declaration committing to the A400M, for the first time also mentioning concrete numbers (225 in total, see above). This was then the basis for writing up a formal MoU and negotiations with industry. In November 2000, the German government got a 10 million DM approval for A400M, but this is not yet backed by actual money appropirated in the defence budget. The engine selection, originally due in the spring of 1999, was continually delayed. At first two different European consortia – Rolls-Royce and Turboprop International – were offering competing designs. Political pressure then led to the signature of a memorandum of agreement for a collaboration on a three-shaft turboprop on 28 August 2000. Not surprisingly, this design (TP400) was then choosen by Airbus Military on 30 November 2000, thus satisfying UK demands to include Rolls-Royce and bringing all relevant European powerplant houses together. In January 2001, an Interim International Programme Office (IIPO), staffed from the A400M launch nations, was established in Toulouse. This office was tasked with the management of the negotiations up to and beyond contract signature until the formation of the Programme Division for A400M by OCCAR, the agency through which the aircraft will be acquired by the nations. Portugal was indicating its desire to come back into the programme in February 2001, with a stated need for four A400Ms. In the spring of 2001, the severe economical crisis in Turkey forced the military to re-examine their ambitious re-armament programmes. They then cut the A400M number from 26 to 20, but declared their intent to stay with the schedule. Contract signature and programme launch had been hoped for by the end of 2000, but was later targeted for the Paris Air Show in June 2001. The single procurement contract for 196 aircraft was finally signed on 18 December 2001 in Brussels between Airbus Military and OCCAR representing the customer nations. It was worth some 18 billion Euros and was to become effective upon formal notification from Occar, which in turn was dependent on German parliamentary approval. The German approval was expected by the end of January 2002, but parlamentarians, even from the ruling coalition, resisted pressure to wave the programme through as financing was very murky. After a heated debate in the Bundestag, the CDU opposition went to the highest German court to clarify the situation. On 20 March 2002, the budget committee of the German Bundestag approved the first tranche of 40 A400Ms, not to exceed 5,1 billion Euros. The other 33 for 4,4 billion Euros were pushed into the next budget cycle after elections in September 2002. As Airbus Military was unhappy with the contractual details of the TP400 engine it had choosen earlier, it issued a new request for proposals in April 2002. In the summer of 2002, German defence minister Scharping was ousted and Peter Struck named as his successor. After having first declared that Germany will stand by its commitment for 73 aircraft, he later had to accept budget realities and go for a cut in numbers. After some weeks of speculation, it became clear at the end of November 2002 that Germany will only take 60 of the A400Ms. A final announcement came on 5 December. At that time Struck declared that new contracts with industry will be negotiated and that a price hike of just one per cent is likely. On 20 February 2003, Portugals defence minister Paulo Portas announced the definitive withdrawal of his country from the A400M programme. In the spring of 2003, the UK ministry of defence contracted MBDA with studies to use the A400M as a cruise missile carrier. The two year effort, wothr 5 million Pounds, is part of the FOAS studies. On 30 April 2003, Airbus chief executive Noel Forgeard declared that the Pratt & Whitney Canada engine offer was around 20 per cent cheaper than its European rival, and would be choosen now if there was no "political dimension” to the decision. On 6 May 2003, Airbus declared that it had choosen the TP400-D6 as the engine for the A400M. This was after EPI had made substantial last minute price and contractual concessions. Also, heavy political pressure from France probably played its part in tilting the balance towards the European solution. The decision was approved by teh EADS Board of Directors under Manfred Bischoff and Arnaud Lagardère. On 21 May 2003, the budget committee of the German Bundestag gave the green light for the procuremet fo the A400M. Critics were unhappy with the payment methods, though, as Germany is the only nation to pay on delivery. This will entail taking out a sort of credit from EADS Germany, which will cost around 700 million Euros in the long term. The final launch of the A400M programme came on 27 May 2003, when a contract was signed in Bonn between Airbus Military and the multinational armaments agency OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation en Matiere d´Armement). At the same time, Airbus Military SL (Sociedad Limitada) was registered in Spain, with Francisco Fernández-Sainz as managing director and Noel Forgeard as Chairman of the board. From 31 May 2003, Airbus Military is now embarking on a development and test programme lasting around 77 months (up from earlier promises of 71 months), leading to first deliveries at the end of 2009. First flight (once thought to be in 2006) would be in 2008. All these dates are far behind the original urgent demand by the Royal Air Force and the Armée de l´Air, which wanted their transports in 2005. The first TP400-D6 engine is to run in August 2005.
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