Wind tunnel models do not a competitor make.

Bit shy on the nose aspect RCS as well, unless the engines are retractable

ouch they forgot about the engine RCS.. ;)

the final design is to have 4 smaller engines

these are real engines (Williams) apparently good enough for these tests

most tunnel test are to confirm computer modelling these days

this is a big model, which could mean they are past conceptual testing (smaller milled models)

maybe ground effect testing?

It seems to have big wings, offering space for lots of fuel.

High energy RTO and emergency evacuations complete
 

...the two not connected, I hasten to add.

Here's the latest.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/th...dit%20usaf.jpg

is surely a contender for the caption competition???

sw

Pierre - Is anyone listening?
Klaus - No, ve are safe.
Pierre - I cannot believe the plans are working this well. Nobody in the USAF realizes that they will not have the monnaie for this connerie volant any time before 2050.
Klaus - Yes, and Simon and Jacques are doing the same over at the Army, selling them on Quad Tilt Rotors...
Pierre - Yes, Airbus C-48A by 2020, it is in the bag.

Why are those skipping homs wearing safety harness's on a platform as benign as that......:rolleyes:

Now where have I seen that shape and concept before........hmmm

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/...08cb703e17.jpg

LowObservable, probably righty. While smart, heavily subsidized & proud techies design game changing, revolutionairy concepts, EADS will do a US tour in 2012 with the A400M.

Around 2015 the game is on when LM and Boeing have re-read DOD RFI's on the topic & see A400M people visiting washington too often & the US Marines considering an order.

They'll probably pull the patriotic card again, using fear and xenophobism to avoid a "french"" aircraft entering service. We've seen it with the tanker. The JSF, Apache, F18 and Hawks must have a fair chance in every foreign competition, but if the home forces are concerned the masks are off & flag waving takes over.

It seems the A400m recently successfully completed high-energy rejected take-off tests.

http://www.airbusmilitary.com/Portal..._22_2011_2.jpg

Pretty much my read on the situation.

I haven't seen anything realistic from the US services or industry other than building C-130s in perpetuity. If the Army downsizes (as it will) there will be a lot of capacity for basic trash-hauling for a while, until the older C-130s start running out of hours, but there will still be niche missions.

Actually, if the F-35B survives and proves capable of austere-base operations (that is, doesn't blow a huge hole in the runway every time it lands) the A400M would be a good support aircraft.

Actually, if the F-35B survives and proves capable of austere-base operations (that is, doesn't blow a huge hole in the runway every time it lands) the A400M would be a good support aircraft.

Keesje, how about a drawing of an A400 landing on a USS America-class LHA? Don't forget "Marines" markings.

Also, put some armament on your A400m:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...h_Hellfire.jpg

Sorry, I don't know what you are talking about. You mean an A400M landing on a flight deck ?!

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_America_%28LHA-6%29

USS America LHA-6 concept drawing

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-0000X-001.jpg

This is of topic but it interests me ... People You Used To Know Who End Up In
Surprisingly Bad Way Dept.:


The U.S. Supreme Court won't hear the appeal of J. Reece Roth, a 74-year-old former UT professor emeritus convicted in 2008 of violating federal arms control law....

Roth's next stop will be prison, where he must serve a four-year sentence. He'd been free on bond during his appeal. ...

... Roth, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering, worked as a consultant on an Air Force project to develop technology for unmanned drone aircraft. He used graduate students from China and Iran on that project and took documents from the project to China in 2006 — even though the university and his contract had warned against doing either.

U.S. Supreme Court turns down retired UT professor's appeal » Knoxville News Sentinel

I took a course under good old Perfesser Grease Broth in 1981.

Water ingestion test
 

This Spanish-language site has a nice photo of water ingestion test apparently performed last week. I could not find any other reporting of that event, and my Spanish isn't up to much, but the gist seems to be it went well [EDIT: So-so - See posts below from Trin Stab and Algy -- end EDIT], and the pic is certainly worth a look.

@Elmo: Tough. But people do strange things at times.

Actually it says that there was water ingression into the main gear wells which caused damage to an (unspecified) part.

Oh thanks for the info, Trim Stab. Probably should've checked that dictionary. So here's a Google translation:

Last October 15 was carried out one of the most spectacular, the water intake.

This was rolled to a development aircraft over a pool of entr2 2 and 7 cm deep, set on a track. The A400M Grizzly made ​​several passes in different configurations at speeds up to 90 kt, even with the propellers into reverse without water projected by the landing gear came into the engines. The test, however, damaged a piece main landing gear hatches related to the extent gravity of the train. Apparently, the water created a pressure on one side of the trap that ended up causing the failure of the part.

Thanks for the interest. It did in fact go very nicely.

The damage occurred to a "pad" which protects the LG door from the wheels under gravity lowering. Some of the wash was unexpectedly forced into the void between the wheel and pad. It's a minor issue.