The first Airbus Military A400M military airlifter landed back in Seville, Spain recently after completing a successful maiden flight lasting just under four hours, Airbus said.
The crew confirmed that the aircraft, known as MSN 1, performed as expected.
“From the very beginning of the flight, we were impressed by the ease of handling of the aircraft which was in line with what we experienced in the simulator,” experimental test pilot Nacho Lombo was quoted as saying. “The aircraft, systems and engine performance were highly satisfactory. We sense the great potential of this magnificent machine.”
For its first flight, the aircraft took off at a weight of 127 tons, carrying 15 tons of test equipment. As planned, the six-man crew explored the aircraft’s flight envelope, including a wide speed-range, and tested lowering and raising of the landing gear and high-lift devices at altitude. After checking the aircraft’s performance in the landing configuration, the crew landed back at Seville.
In the first half of 2010, MSN 1 will be joined by two sister aircraft, MSN 2 and MSN 3, followed by MSN 4 by the end of the year. A fifth aircraft will join the program during 2011. This fleet will be used for some 3,700 hours of test-flying between now and first delivery to the French Air Force at the end of 2012, according to an Airbus press statement.
A total of 184 aircraft have so far been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.