A400M Flight Testing Progress

[Jig Peter]

Nice sight near Toulouse

It's encouraging to see A400s regularly flying over the small village where I live "between the river and the mountains" - their "grizzly growl" sounds quite different from anything else, and at what look like quite high speeds there's a distinctive "howl" as well ... gets the neighbours out to scan the skies in appreciation !
GO Grizzly ! (even if the nickname gets certain Airships the heeby-jeebies).

PS I still think it'll look better stretched - if that gearbox could take more power !

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Originally Posted by BEagle

Seems to be going fine....

Phew thats good news then, hate to think of it being any later than it is

[keesje]

Jig Peter I saw somewhere the TP400 engines are build with growth potential included, so I guess the gearbox too..

Yrs ago I sketched a stretched US A400M. The A400M seems volume limited when operating from regular air fields. 40t can be a lot of low density load.

[Jig Peter]

Re: SFFP Post 79

What might satisfy SFFP (and give Their Airships yet more vapours) on the day the A400M enters RAF service would be to arrange a tagger to add a "t" at the end of the name* their 'Ships have given it ... only to be revealed when the drapes covering the name fall ceremoniously away ...












(* "Atlas" for the unwary)

[BEagle]

Or perhaps an 'f' and an extra 's'?

Everyone knows that ALMs like a fAtlass....

I don't see much need for a stretch, given that the max. payload has already increased from the 25 tonne of 'Euroflag Solution 20' through 37 tonne in 2003 to the present 40 tonne.

[ksimboy]

Beags,
always remember the larger lady is always more grateful . Big girls need loving too (and they kept one warm in the snowy wastes of Newfoundland and Labrador!)

[Modern Elmo]

Keesje, where's the JATO STOL package, the sonobuoy dispensers, and the refueling boom?

And shouldn't you also have a drawing of an A400 equipped with ski landing gear for snowy operations?

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Any pictures of it flying in the last couple of days

[Jig Peter]

@ SFFP (again !!)

Sorry, Sir - too busy trimming roses and suchlike, but I can assure you that A400 airborne sightings occurred (and one probable, but only heard) at least twice in the Toulouse area during the second half of last week. Also, photos of aircraft lining up for approach at, say 1000 ft, aren't what one would hang on one's sitting room wall. (and I ain't got a camera anyway).
France's summer break was over a week or so ago, and it was good to see Grizzly/Atlas getting on with the testing programme. Dunno about events in Spain, but I can assure you that the "special" A400 sound is good to hear, at least for me, as well as other Airbus products on test, or in service (after all, that's what pays some of my pension ...).
Another thing - the RAF would be further forward in the queue if only the various UK ministries involved had shown some urgency - but 'twas ever thus, wonnit ?

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

So nothing since last week............

[ShortFatOne]

And if it makes that much noise it'll be bugger all use as a replacement MPA before anyone suggests it!

[keesje]

Keesje, where's the JATO STOL package, the sonobuoy dispensers, and the refueling boom?

Elmo, the A400M has hose and drogue. Sonobuoydispensers are more for naval aircraft, a JATO stoll package such as on the C130? Never heard of it for the A400M. Probably too big an aircraft for the mission.

[VX275]

If I can heave smoke floats and an ASRA kit out of a Herc para door I'm sure a few sonobouys will be no problem for the A400M's larger para door.

[Jig Peter]

Rising to the bait

OK, so I rise to SFFP's bait again, but his post on a Sunday saying "so nothing since last week" rather flabbers my gasts - perhaps I should have made it clear that I meant "7 - 9 September".
This Monday's quiet, though: little air traffic of any kind, so the photo-snappers round the airport won't have much to click their shutters at, which will probably give SFFP something else to sneer about ...

Personal Ignore list - "GO". Out

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

JP,

It was a genuine enquiry, nothing more nothing less.

[Jig Peter]

SFFP

Understood - though wondering on a Sunday if there has been more activity since Friday ... !!!
I believe they're making good enough progress for "Stakhonovitis" not to be imminent.
Ignore list - "Delete last entry - GO"

[Winchweight]

Its currently busy on certification work and to reassure the doubters it flew past my window not an hour ago.

[Ken Scott]

And if it makes that much noise it'll be bugger all use as a replacement MPA before anyone suggests it!

Why would we need a replacement MPA?

According to the coalition government this maritime nation doesn't require any aircraft for the role!

[keesje]

Modern Elmo,

Keesje, where's the JATO STOL package, the sonobuoy dispensers, and the refueling boom?

And shouldn't you also have a drawing of an A400 equipped with ski landing gear for snowy operations?

Care to comment on the stealthuy Transport, Tanker, Bomber Gunship approach the americans are taking?



IMAGES: Lockheed's stealth C-130 successor revealed - The DEW Line

Maybe a good time to start adjusting your an MPA is an MPA, a tanker a tanker and a transport a transport view. Reality doesn't seem to agree no more.

[Wycombe]

Doesn't look like a very good engine layout for rough strip ops!