The current delay to the A400M first flight was caused by modification to certain engine components.
That may well have knocked on to the first delivery date - to the FAF.
The gap between 'first flight' and 'first customer delivery' is, by UK standards, amazingly narrow. I'm intrigued to know how all the carriage clearances will be obtained in such a short time.
Under no circumstances can the C-17 be termed a 'turkey'! The A400M fills the gap between the C-130 and the C-17 and, although it isn't a direct competitor for either, strikes a good compromise of payload/range/speed v. cost.
Last edited by BEagle; 28th August 2007 at 12:10.