After a year and a half behind schedule, the military transport plane A400M will finally soon make its first flight. A spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said Thursday that the first flight will take place on 10 or 11 December in Seville (Spain). He said that "of 11 is most likely. For its part, Airbus Military has just announced a flight to "the end of the week" next. The exact date will depend on the results of ground tests and the weather.
The transport aircraft propellers powered by four turboprop engines have been flying in summer 2008 but has suffered many delays because of development problems, particularly related to its engine. Deliveries to the armies are in turn delayed by at least three years and will not occur before late 2012 at the earliest.Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg have ordered a total of 180 aircraft.