Airbus A400M Atlas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A400M_Atlas

The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European, four-engine turboprop military transport
aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a
tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities to replace older transport
aircraft, such as the Transall C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The A400M
is positioned, in terms of size, between the C-130 and the Boeing C-17; it can
carry heavier loads than the C-130 and is able to use rough landing strips.
Along with the transport role, the A400M can perform aerial refuelling and
medical evacuation when fitted with appropriate equipment.

The A400M's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11
December 2009 from Seville, Spain. Between 2009 and 2010, the A400M faced
cancellation as a result of development programme delays and cost overruns;
however, the customer nations chose to maintain their support for the project. A
total of 174 A400M aircraft had been ordered by eight nations by July 2011. In
March 2013, the A400M received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
certification. The first aircraft was delivered to the French Air Force in
August 2013.

Origins

The project has its origins in the Future International Military Airlifter
(FIMA) group, which was established during 1982 by as a joint venture between
Aérospatiale, British Aerospace (BAe), Lockheed, and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
(MBB) with the goal of developing a replacement for both the C-130 Hercules and
Transall C-160. Varying requirements and the complications of international
politics meant that progress on the initiative was slow. During 1989, Lockheed
decided to withdraw from the grouping; it went on to independently develop an
upgraded Hercules, the C-130J Super Hercules. With the addition of Alenia of
Italy and CASA of Spain, the FIMA group became Euroflag.

Since no existing turboprop engine in the western world was powerful enough to
reach the projected cruise speed of Mach 0.72, a new engine design was required.
Originally, the SNECMA M138 turboprop (based on the M88 core) was selected, but
this powerplant was found to be incapable of satisfying the requirements. During
April 2002, Airbus Military issued a new request for proposal (RFP), after which
Pratt & Whitney Canada with the PW180 and Europrop International answered. In
May 2003, Airbus Military selected the Europrop TP400-D6; according to American
defense company United Technologies, the
selection was allegedly a result of political interference, the TP400-D6 being
20% more expensive than the losing PW180 engine.

The A400M is positioned as an intermediate size and range between the Lockheed
C-130 and the Boeing C-17, carrying cargo too large or too heavy for the C-130
while able to use rough landing strips. It has been advertised with the tagline
"transport what the C130 cannot to places that the C17 can't".

Design

The Airbus A400M increases the airlift capacity and range compared with the
aircraft it was originally set to replace, the older versions of the Hercules
and Transall. Cargo capacity is expected to double over existing aircraft, both
in payload and volume, and range is increased substantially as well. The cargo
box is 17.71 m long excluding ramp, 4.00 m wide, and 3.85 m high (or 4.00 m aft
of the wing). The maximum payload of 37 tonnes can be carried over 2,000 nmi.
The A400M operates in many configurations including cargo transport, troop
transport, and medical evacuation. It is intended for use on short, soft landing
strips and for long-range, cargo transport flights. It features a fly-by-wire
flight control system with sidestick controllers and flight envelope protection.
Like other Airbus aircraft, the A400M has a full glass cockpit. Most systems are
loosely based on those of the A380, but modified for the military mission. The
hydraulic system has dual 207 bar (3,000 psi) channels powering the primary and
secondary flight-control actuators, landing gear, wheel brakes, cargo door and
optional hose-and-drogue refueling system. As with the A380, there is no third
hydraulic system. Instead, there are two electrical systems; one is a set of
dual-channel electrically powered hydraulic actuators, the other an array of
electrically/hydraulically powered hybrid actuators. The
dissimilar redundancy provides more protection against battle damage.


Role
Strategic/tactical airlift

Manufacturer
Airbus

First flight
11 December 2009

Introduction
2013

Status
In service

Primary users
German Air Force
French Air Force
Spanish Air Force
Royal Air Force
See Operators below for others

Produced
2007–present

Number built
88 as of 31 January 2020

Unit cost

€ 152.4m(FY 2013) (France)
€ 175m (Germany)

Operational history

On 29 December 2013, the French Air Force performed the A400M's first
operational mission, the aircraft having flown to Mali in support of Operation
Serval.

On 10 September 2015, the RAF was declared the A400M fleet leader in terms of
flying hours, with 900 hours flown over 300 sorties, achieved by a fleet of four
aircraft. Sqn. Ldr. Glen Willcox of the RAF's Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron
confirmed that reliability levels were high for an aircraft so early in its
career, and that night vision goggle trials, hot and cold soaking, noise
characterization tests and the first tie-down schemes for cargo had already been
completed. In March 2015, the RAF's first operational mission occurred flying
cargo to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus.

In September and October 2017, A400Ms from France, Germany and the UK
participated in the disaster relief operations following Hurricane Irma in the
Caribbean, delivering a Puma helicopter, food, water and other aid supply, and
evacuating stranded people.

On 24 July 2018, the German Luftwaffe used an A400M for the first time to fly 75
soldiers from Wunstorf to Mazar-i-Sharif. German Air Force Inspector Ingo
Gerhartz called this a "milestone" because it was the first such mission in an
active war zone and showed that the armoring kit was fully functional.

On 7 September 2018, the French Air Force announced that they had logged 10,000
flying hours with their fleet of 14 A400Ms, mostly flying supply missions for
Operation Barkhane.

Specifications

General characteristics
Crew: 3 or 4 (2 pilots, 3rd optional, 1 loadmaster)
Capacity: 37,000 kg (81,600 lb) 116 fully equipped troops / paratroopers
up to 66 stretchers accompanied by 25 medical personnel
cargo compartment: width 4.00-metre (13.12 ft) x height 3.85-metre (12.6 ft) x
length 17.71-metre (58.1 ft) (without ramp 5.40-metre (17.7 ft))
Length: 45.1 m (148 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 42.4 m (139 ft 1 in)
Height: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 225.1 m2 (2,384 sq ft)
Empty weight: 76,500 kg (168,654 lb) ; operating weight
Gross weight: 120,000 kg (264,555 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 141,000 kg (310,852 lb)
Fuel capacity: 50,500 kg (111,300 lb) internal fuel
Max landing weight: 123,000 kg (271,200 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Europrop TP400-D6 turboprop, 8,200 kW (11,000 hp) each
Propellers: 8-bladed Ratier-Figeac FH385 and FH386 variable pitch tractor
propellers with feathering and reversing capability (FH385 anticlockwise on
engines 2 and 4, FH386 clockwise on engines 1 and 3), 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)
diameter

Performance
Cruise speed: 781 km/h (485 mph, 422 kn) at 9,450 m (31,000 ft)
Initial cruise altitude: 9,000 m (29,000 ft) at MTOW
Range: 3,300 km (2,100 mi, 1,800 nmi) at max payload (long range cruise speed;
reserves as per MIL-C-5011A) Range at 30-tonne payload: 4,500 km (2,450 nmi)
Range at 20-tonne payload: 6,400 km (3,450 nmi)
Ferry range: 8,700 km (5,400 mi, 4,700 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,200 m (40,000 ft)
Wing loading: 637 kg/m2 (130.4 lb/sq ft)
Tactical takeoff distance: 980 m (3,215 ft), aircraft weight 100 tonnes (98 long
tons; 110 short tons), soft field, ISA, sea level
Tactical landing distance: 770 m (2,530 ft) (as above)
Turning radius (ground): 28.6 m




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