Military AircrewA forum for the professionals who fly the non-civilian hardware, and the backroom boys and girls without whom nothing would leave the ground. Army, Navy and Airforces of the World, all equally welcome here.
Grizzly 2 experienced temperatures as low as -21ºC as it underwent tests on its powerplants. It was accompanied by an Airbus A340-300 carrying support equipment and the test team.
It will experience further cold weather testing in Kiruna and at other locations this winter and next says Airbus Military.
Thanks for your interest Keesje, but just to clarify your post #1, the quoted comment about certification applies to the engine, not the aircraft, and it is not from EADS. (In fact nobody knows where it´s from as it was an anonymous Reuters "source familiar with the project".)
Airbus Military's A400M "Grizzly" has completed sufficient simulated flight-cycle testing on a full-scale airframe to achieve civil type certification of the airlifter by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The test specimen has undergone 1,665 cycles.
The test programme is required to simulate flights at least one year ahead of the actual operations performed by the aircraft.
'nother Grizzly trial. Text and pix from Airbus Mil.
The Airbus Military A400M has completed a challenging series of tests to determine the lowest speed at which it can take-off – known as minimum unstick speed or Vmu. During the tests, performed at Istres in France, the aircraft’s nose was raised until a special ‘bumper’ fitted to the rear fuselage struck the ground at the maximum pitch-up angle of 13º. In the close-up photo sparks can be seen flying from the bumper as it drags on the runway.
The A400 paid a visit to the secret Wiltshire airbase on Friday afternoon - nice couple of flypasts. Pity they're not going to be based there, it would've made a great tactical AT base, much better than the Oxfordshire shiny airport!
