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First Production Item for A400M Airframe

Varel, 26 January 2005

Airbus Military has today launched production of the first major airframe component for the A400M military airlifter.

The event took place at a ceremony held in the Varel facility of Airbus Germany, where representatives of the seven launch customer nations joined government officials and members of the Airbus Military management team to witness the milling of the first lower fuselage frame.

One of eighteen such frames located in the centre fuselage section that will support the floor and carry the main fuselage structure, the 5.4 metre long element is milled from a single aluminium billet. Starting with a raw material mass of over two tonnes, the finished frame will weigh only 25 kg. 100% of the machined waste will be re-cycled.

The first metal cut for the A400M comes only 18 months after the programme launch, in May 2003, demonstrating that the rigorous timetable established for the new airlifter is being strictly respected. The lower fuselage frames are classified as long-lead items, hence the early start to manufacturing. They represent the beginning of a rapidly increasing industrial process, which will see more and more components put into production as work on their detailed design is completed.

“This truly marks the start of the A400M production phase”, said Adolfo Revuelta, Head of A400M Programme. “ We are proud to be able to demonstrate both to our customers and to the world that the well-proven Airbus industrial methodology is being successfully applied to our military programme.”

The A400M programme was launched in May 2003 when 180 A400M airlifters were ordered by seven European NATO nations: 60 for Germany; 50 for France; 27 for Spain; 25 for the UK; 10 for Turkey; 7 for Belgium and 1 for Luxemburg. The A400M will first fly in 2008 with first deliveries beginning from 2009.

Contact:
Alasdair REYNOLDS
AIRBUS Military
Tel.: +33 (0)5 61 93 39 86
http://www.airbusmilitary.com
mailto: alasdair.reynolds@airbus.com