The creation of the PMT follows the January 2015 revelation of additional delays in the A400M project. It also will watch progress in development and production, and plans on-site visits at the final-assembly line in Seville, Spain, and other A400M-production facilities.
According to the letter, which has been obtained by Aviation Week, Airbus has asked A400M operators to perform engine electronic-control unit (ECU) checks after having analyzed test runs ahead of MSN023’s first flight and information from the site of the May 9 crash that killed four crew. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is now considering issuing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for the A400M.
However, the ministry says at this point it is not clear whether there is a causal link between the ECU checks and the crash. Therefore, Germany sees no basis to revoke its decision to ground its single A400M. The ministry says the potential effect on cost and schedule are not yet clear, either.
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The first conclusions on program recovery made by the PMT include the observation that Airbus still does not have an integrated approach to production, development and retrofits, but treats these as separate programs. The PMT is nevertheless confident that Airbus Defense and Space will be able to deliver 18 aircraft in 2015, three of which would be for Germany and should be delivered in September, October and November. However, the group warns that Airbus has not been able to deliver any information on progress yet.
According to the letter, procurement-agency Occar expects an offer to negotiate from Airbus soon that could be the basis for a revised development and production contract for the A400. Germany alone has said the delays have added around €300 million ($330 million) in cost and will demand financial compensation. However, the defense ministry says negotiations could be delayed because of the accident.
Germany also believes the delay in the A400M’s defensive-aid subsystem could be 1-2 years, and lead to a capability gap of two years, given that the C-160 Transalls were to be phased out at the end of 2018. But the defense ministry now says the Transalls could continue to fly until 2021 under certain conditions.