A400M Flight Testing Progress
 

From what I understand the 4th proto is flying.

Soon they will start soft runway testing and inflight refuelling.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1295973792

Flight performance seems ok, the envelope has been validated during the past year.

Any idea if the A400M is meeting range and payload requirements?

Some videos of tests completed late last year:

Test preparing for soft runway tests:
YouTube - a400m unprepared

A400M Ground Loads Trials:
YouTube - A400M Ground Loads Trials

Late november medium size bird ingestion test were passed. Around that time EADS said "

• A certification tests with simulated icing shapes attached to the wings and tail completed.
• Preliminary tests of protective kits for rough-field operations completed in preparation for next year´s trials.
• Flight and ground load testing is complete
• Measurement of cruise performance is completed
• All major aircraft systems have been tested
• Flutter tests throughout the flight envelope are close to completion.
• TP400 in-flight relight capability has been successfully demonstrated
• Ground starts following an overnight cold-soak recently performed.
• APU performance so far excellent, it has been started at 40,000ft.

Fourth Airbus Military A400M makes first flight | Shephard Group

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.


http://www.a400m.com/Portals/0/Imgs/...02_08_2011.jpg

Airbus Military A400M begins cold weather trials in Sweden

& for those who like detail ;)
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/ai...03-114186.html

It seems today inflight refueling testing started, with a VC-10 of the armée de l'air britannique.

L'A400M fait ses premiers essais de ravitaillement en vol - 15/02/2011 - leParisien.fr

http://in.reuters.com/resources/r/?m...India-431282-1

not officially confirmed though..

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".)

Algy thnx, issue with anonymous "source familiar with the project" is that they are often right too, but apparently not in this case.

Anyway the trails hit the news today, dry contacts.

http://www.a400m.com/Portals/0/Imgs/...02_16_2011.jpg

Like a chunky front row lad trying to make a move on a MILF.;)

-21ºC?

But did they go drinking in those temps, and attempt to stagger back to Sinbads via a 10' snowdrift? I think not.

Poofs!

Grizzly hits EASA test benchmark
 

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.

Grizzly hits EASA test benchmark

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/ai...270-112534.jpg

'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.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1.../LowSpeed1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1.../LowSpeed2.jpg

airsound

a400m at Filton
 

Apparently an A400M visited RAF Filton today

NICE I want one:)

Give it a couple of days and some American Airbus basher will be circulating those photos around the internet with the title:

"Crappy Euro Herc Flight Control Software Fault Causes Tail Strike - A400M Unsafe, Full Redesign Required - RAF To Buy More Boeings"

-21C?

Or as we used to call that in Minnesota, a sign of Spring.

Nice video from Filton. I have to say, I am surprised how slow the props turn, they must be absorbing a massive amount of power:eek:

It's because the rubber bands have completely unwound resulting in the props rotating more slowly.:ok:

I guess Ed Strongman made sure he had to do this mission?

Please tell me that was a joke :ugh:

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!

"it would've made a great tactical AT base"

Except for the slightly inconvenient fact that the A400M wouldn't fit in any of the existing hangars...