Originally Posted by
BEagle
Oh my....errrrmmm....the usual KenV half-truths and anti-A400M bolleaux....
Oh my. I clearly touched a nerve. What "half-truth" have I uttered? Can you name one?
Since you've decided to make this personal, let's touch another nerve. What is the "truth" and "half-truth" concerning the number of people who have died flying an A-400M vs a KC-46? Is that an "anti-A400M" question or just a tragic albeit embarrassing factoid? And (once again) for the record, I am NOT anti-A400M. I believe it is an excellent aircraft with tremendous potential. It's development and entry into production on the other hand has been anything but excellent. And that's what this is about
: a development program leading into early production. The
program's many woes are self evident.
Originally Posted by
BEagle
...Judging by the number flying around here these days, the A400M Atlas is serving the RAF pretty well right now.
Hmmm. How well is it doing for Germany?
German Minister forced to change plane after A400M trouble
Further, how many
should be "flying around" vs how many are
actually "flying around?" (i.e. how many should have been delivered by now vs how many were actually delivered?) And of those delivered how late were their deliveries? And since the aircraft was designed and sold as a
tactical airlifter with some strategic capabilities, how many
tactical missions has the RAF performed with the aircraft? None you say? Hmmmmm. Is that a "half truth" or an embarrassing one? So that's another problem with the
program: developing its full potential has been embarrassingly slow.
And once again, I'm NOT "anti-A440". I'm very confident the A400 will ultimately be an
excellent tactical airlifter. It's just taken a whole lot longer and cost a whole lot more money than promised to get there. And that's what this discussion is about
: the
program, not the aircraft. Although you'd clearly like to make it about the aircraft with your oft repeated yet
zero truth "frankentanker" epithet. And oh yes, how is that
tanker capability the A400M was touted as having turning out?
As for you comparing flight hours of a developmental aircraft with flight hours of a delivered aircraft, that's apples and oranges, not pots and kettles. You need to get your idioms straight.