French Senate report about the A400M..

[beaucaire]

..it's all in French but contains a lot of interesting information.
Surprisingly the Antonov 70 is not really mentioned as potential replacement or contender,but barely a "research project"..


http://www.senat.fr/rap/r08-205/r08-205_mono.html#toc0

[regi]

OK, A400 in the air for Santa Claus present.

Airbus says its long-delayed A400M military transport aircraft should make its first test flight during the week beginning 7 December.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8383212.stm

[RC20]

Huge cost increase South Africa bailed out when they found out (Airbus lied about it prior to them doing so and expressed puzzlement, shades of Boeing).

Currently the proposed cost is covered by the same sort of pay back as Airbus uses for its current civilian fleet, i.e. if we sell more than so many we return money.

Scheme makes no sense for a fixed contract where buyers often drop numbers rather than increase (Royal Air Force is not going to need nearly as many due to C17 and C-130 purchases they have had to make to fill the void, not to mention the C-17 suits the current strategic situation far better).

[regi]

That is old news RC20. Just let us wait till next week to see if they reach their own deadline.
And a flying plane sells better than a drawing. See Rekkof...

[Ozzie1969]

Scheme makes no sense for a fixed contract where buyers often drop numbers rather than increase (Royal Air Force is not going to need nearly as many due to C17 and C-130 purchases they have had to make to fill the void, not to mention the C-17 suits the current strategic situation far better).

The RAF never bought those C-17's, they only leased them.

[DC3 Fan]

According to this source the RAF did initially lease four c-117s, but eventually bought them plus two more and is considering a seventh:

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4394666

[RC20]

That is old news RC20. Just let us wait till next week to see if they reach their own deadline.
And a flying plane sells better than a drawing. See Rekkof...

As I recall the German minister said something to the affect when asked if it flying changed his feeling, "I am emotionally attached to my wife, not the A400".

Bottom line, for civilian aviation, flying is important, for military, you better be able to work out the economics or its toast, they can almost always fix a problem aircraft if players stay on board (C17 came close to being canceled because of problems)

Reality, its going to cost a lot more, and a C17 is going to be less (more so with the Euro exchange) than an A400 that cannot do the mission as well as the C17. A400 has to satisfy (5 or 6 customers) and its mission keeps changing as Germany wants to move armored vehicles that it barely can handle, and with an increased range (and whose tankers will refuel it?)

The A400 was intended as a regional aircraft, and that mission is gone with the demise of the Soviet union military (fuel domination by the Russians having taken its place). C17 was always target as a global airlift, and that's whats needed today, until you get local, then a Herc sized or even helicopter from there (V22 also).