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World
Aviation Industry News - Airbus Military |
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The
first series production of A400M military transport for French Air Force
takes shape in Spain.
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The final assembly
process for this A-400M aircraft, known as MSN7, started last November.
The nose and fuselage are already integrated and the aircraft was recently
moved, on its landing gear, to the workstation in which the structural
assembly is carried out. Integration works for the wing started last
week and both the horizontal and the vertical tailplanes, which have
already been mated, have just been moved to the final assembly station,
known as Station 40, with the rest of the aircraft.
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The photograph shows A400M
MSN7 in Station 40, at the A400M FAL in Seville.
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This aircraft, the first one in the series production,
will be delivered to France around the turn of the year 2012-2013.
The A400M
will then be powered up for the first time before the aircraft is moved
to the Ground System Tests area.
The A400M
is an all-new military airlifter designed to meet the needs of the world's
Armed Forces in the 21st Century. Thanks to its most advanced technologies,
it is able to fly higher, faster and further, while retaining high manoeuvrability,
low speed, and short, soft and rough airfield capabilities. It combines
both tactical and strategic/logistic missions.
With its cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize equipment
needed today for both military and humanitarian disaster relief missions,
it can bring this material quickly and directly to where it is most
needed. Conceived to be highly reliable, dependable, and with a great
survivability, the multipurpose A400M
can do more with less, implying smaller fleets and less investment from
the operator. The A400M
is the most cost efficient and versatile airlifter ever conceived and
absolutely unique in its capabilities.
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