Originally Posted by
Old_Slartibartfast
LHTEC T800 for Future Lynx (as it was at the time). The principle objection from QQ was that the C compiler that had been used wasn't on their list of certified compilers, therefore it wasn't safe for the UK. The fact that other governments, like Malaysia, were OK with it on the Super Lynx 300, the US were OK with it for the (ultimately cancelled) Comanche and the FAA were happy with it for the civil variant of that engine (same FADEC) wasn't considered safe enough by the QQ BDN bods.
Thanks for the reply SB. I've no knowledge of the FADEC in question but assume that what QQ said of the code was correct. They don't arbitrarily decide what they will accept or not, they simply follow the rules. Mull was a terrible example of what happens when the rules (mandated ones, ie the law!) aren't followed, along with all the other needless deaths that occurred in the many airworthiness related fatal accident threads that pepper this forum.
Other countries have different systems, often wedding themselves to US certification for example. If that is the formal arrangement, all well and good, as long as the rules are followed. The UK though has a tradition of adapting foreign aircraft and systems to its own requirements. The Model K Hercules for example had all UK avionics, as well as other modifications, that meant that half their cost was in Sterling (though at £1M a pop they were a bargain anyway). Other UK specific fits included our own floor roller conveyor system for cargo para extraction drops.
Why the A400 and the F35B are both still not in full operational service as originally planned I don't know, but in the case of paratroops it's not just a case of chucking them out of the doors. They can hit parts of the aircraft structure and they can hit one another (especially if despatched simultaneously from port and starboard doors). Aircraft and/or procedures may need modifying to ensure their safe exit. Whether any such problems occur with the A400, again I have no idea. It is worth noting though that the 2015 A400 fatal accident at Seville was due to multiple FADEC failures following the accidental data wipe of three of them.
I suspect that a lot of the apparent go slow for the F35B UK entry into service is to do with money. The beancounters will happily incur the extra costs involved as long as they are spread over more years. Whether that makes for happy taxpayers is of course another matter...