So, we should know in a few hours.. .. .The Times, London:. .. .March 13, 2002. .. .German Greens to block Airbus funding. .By Allan Hall in Berlin and Michael Evans, Defence Editor. . . . . .THE future of the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft has been thrown into doubt after German Green Party MPs threatened to veto funding for the project in a vote that takes place today. . .Plans for the aircraft, designed to be the workhorse of a European rapid reaction force, would almost certainly be shelved if Germany were not to participate. . .. .If Berlin cannot find the billions necessary to buy 73 of the aircraft, the project will be scrapped, potentially wiping out 40,000 jobs from Britain to Turkey. At present it has funding for 46 aircraft. . .. .Three Green MPs on the parliamentary budget committee responsible for finding the extra money published a five-page document on Monday saying why they could not approve the Airbus funding. Without their support on the committee today, the German Government does not have the majority necessary to get the project through parliament. . .. .Eight nations, including Britain and France, committed themselves to the A400M wide-bodied transport aircraft on December 18. . .. .Rudolf Scharping, the German Defence Minister, signed up for 73 of the 196 aircraft, promising to seek parliamentary approval no later than January 31. However, that approval, which the other nations had assumed was a formality, was put in doubt after the German Finance Ministry said that legal budgetary requirements for the purchase had not been fulfilled and would not be ready by the deadline. . .. .The deadline has been put back to March 31. If there is no go-ahead and no firm pledge by the deadline, the other signatories will be released from their commitment and the project could unravel. . .. .The Government had attempted an “order now, pay-later” solution, something that the Greens and opposition MPs say is both unacceptable and unconstitutional.