The long-delayed Airbus A400M military transport plane will make its first test flight in southern Spain on Friday, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) company confirmed. "Take-off is scheduled for 10:00 am (1100 GMT)" in Seville, an EADS spokesman told AFP on Wednesday. The programme has been beset by problems.
When the 20-billion-euro (28-billion-dollar) A400M project began it was hoped that a first test flight would be held in 2008 and that air forces would have had the plane in service by the end of this year. The A400M was to replace ageing military cargo carriers in several European air forces but its development has been dogged by a series of serious technical problems, in particular delays in building its massive turbo-prop engines.
Some governments have begun to tire of waiting for Airbus to resolve the issues, and French and German officials have given the firm until the end of the year to prove that the project remains viable. The delays have cost millions and forced Airbus to renegotiate its contracts with several customers.
South Africa has dropped its order entirely and Britain has mulled switching its business to US manufacturers. Two pilots from Britain and Spain and four French engineers will take part in the maiden flight that is set to last for up to three hours. A successful first flight would bring a much-needed dose of good news for the programme. Airbus launched the A400M programme in 2003 with a 20-billion-euro contract with seven countries - Germany, Spain, France, Britain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg.