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Airbus
A400M Performs High-Altitude Tests At La Paz, Bolivia |
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By Daniel Baxter |
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April 1, 2012 - The Airbus Military A400M new generation
airlifter recently visited La Paz, Bolivia as part of a
series of high-altitude performance tests. Grizzly 2
completed a number of flights from the airport at La Paz
which is more than 13,000ft above mean sea level.
Operations from high-altitude airports like La Paz are
challenging because of the low air density.
The tests took place shortly after the aircraft visited
the FIDAE airshow in Chile, and Lima, Peru during its
first deployment to Latin America. Airbus Head of Flight
and Integration Tests. Fernando Alonso said: ?High altitude testing is a critical part of the overall flight-test program which will ensure that we deliver on our performance guarantees to customers. I am pleased to say that the early results from these trials have been very positive.? |
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The Airbus
A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine
turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus
Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities.
The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took
place on 11 December 2009 in Seville, Spain. The A400M is
undergoing flight testing. Orders totaled 174 aircraft from
eight nations as of July 2011. Airbus Military is expected to
deliver the first aircraft in early 2013. In July 2010, the A400M passed a key test: ultimate-load testing of the wing. On 28 October 2010, Airbus Military announced that it was about to start refuelling and air-drop tests. By late October 2010 the A400M had flown 672 hours of the 2,700 hours expected to reach certification.
Cold
weather testing is to be performed in either Canada or Sweden.
In November 2010, the first paratroop jumps were performed from
the A400M. In December 2010 the A400M fleet's flight time has
risen to 965 hours. A400M number four joined the test fleet with
its first flight of over five hours on 20 December 2010.
Winter tests were done in Kiruna, Sweden during February 2011. By April 2011 a total of 1,400 flight hours over 450 flights had been achieved. In May 2011 the A400M's EPI TP400-D6 engine received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In May 2011, the A400M fleet had totaled 1,600 hours over 500 flights; by September 2011, the total increased to 2,100 hours and 684 flights. |