Airbus Military Transport Plane Might Get Its Wings ClippedApril 03, 2009

 

Europe's Airbus said it might have to altogether scrap its A400M military transport aircraft project rather than struggling to salvage what is increasingly considered a disaster.

"The aircraft can't be built under the current conditions," Thomas Enders, chief executive of the plane maker, told Der Spiegel in a Q&A "It is better to put an end to the horror than have horror without end."

Thus far, the horrors include an aircraft that is well-overweight — its turbo-prop engines, which are built by Britain's Rolls-Royce and France's Snecma, are unable to provide sufficient power. And, the software designed by MTU Aero Engines is riddled with serious flaws, according to an article in the Telegraph.

In addition, the plane is far behind schedule and production has run well over budget.

European Aeronautic, Airbus's parent company, has already paid about $2.2 billion in penalties for the delays but will also have to pay in excess of $7.5 billion in fees to the European governments who ordered the aircraft if it kills the project.

European countries have ordered 180 A400M aircraft but are threatening to slash that number. In Britain, members of Parliament’s Defense Select Committee have suggested ordering cheaper models from Lockheed Martin and Boeing instead.