New engine glitch hampers A400M Paris debut
- Gearbox problem grounds army plane during most of air show
- Sources say A400M also recently had propellor cracks
- Doubt raised over plane's readiness for "Atlas" ceremony
Europe's delayed and over-budget military transport plane suffered yet another embarrassing setback on Sunday when manufacturer Airbus was forced to curtail its debut appearance at the Paris Air Show.
The Airbus A400M military airlifter suffered a gearbox problem in one of its powerful turbo-props days before the world's largest air show and will not now be able to carry out its daring display routine in front of aviation enthusiasts.
Airbus officials said the future European troop plane, which was bailed out with 3.5 billion euros ($4.96 billion) by purchasing nations last year, would take part in a flypast on Monday to mark the show's opening but then be placed on static display.
"This is not a problem with safety, but flight test requirements are very demanding at the moment," Airbus Military Chief Executive Domingo Urena-Raso said.
Airbus did not give an estimate for the cost or time involved in fixing the problem, but did not indicate any change in its target to make the first delivery in early 2013.
bhmbaglock wrote:Isn't there more than one A400M flying currently?
