Airbus’ military flight test team has just passed a remarkable milestone in the lengthy campaign to qualify the full range of capabilities of the pioneering A400M airlifter
Just short of nine years after its 11 December 2009 first flight, the A400M has completed 10,000 hours of development flight testing. More than planned, but critical to developing the extraordinary combination of tactical and strategic capabilities that will see it define military transport for decades to come.
Not only has it been exhaustively tested to satisfy the demands of its eight launch nations, but in a world-first it was simultaneously certified as a civil aircraft.
Head of A400M flight test Eric Isorce, and Head of Military Aircraft Fernando Alonso, who was Head of Airbus Flight Operations at the time of the maiden flight, discuss the challenges of qualifying and certifying Airbus’ first large military transport.
Airbus release
