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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: RAIDER14 on June 27, 2008, 10:44:24 PM

Title: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: RAIDER14 on June 27, 2008, 10:44:24 PM
Today the first complete Airbus A400M military transport rolled off the assembly line.
http://www.airbusmilitary.com/press.html
(http://www.airbusmilitary.com/images/1strollout06.jpg)
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Reschke on June 27, 2008, 11:29:38 PM
I don't know much about this one but it is a sharp looking transport aircraft. It looks like it would have all the good features of a C-130 so we can only hope that this plane has the longevity to go with it.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Rollins on June 28, 2008, 04:02:36 AM
IMO looks like garbage.  Hope it flies better than it appears.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: mensa180 on June 28, 2008, 04:04:08 AM
Those props counter rotating?
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: LCCajun on June 28, 2008, 08:20:45 AM
It looks like they are.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Halo on June 28, 2008, 09:32:38 AM
Those Euros, always reinventing the wheel.  Why don't they just buy American?   :D
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: AquaShrimp on June 28, 2008, 09:39:45 AM
A400M has double the weight carrying capacity of the C-130, and its engines are twice as powerful.  C-130J costs 66mil, A400 costs 100mil.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Hazzer on June 28, 2008, 09:50:38 AM
State of the art Transport,it looks right I hope it's as successful as the civil Airbus projects.The wings are carbon fibre and made here in Britain. :aok
 
The props are not contra-rotating by the way.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Donzo on June 28, 2008, 10:21:06 AM
State of the art Transport,it looks right I hope it's as successful as the civil Airbus projects.The wings are carbon fibre and made here in Britain. :aok
 
The props are not contra-rotating by the way.

The props are not conta-rotating but they are counter-rotating.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: MiloMorai on June 28, 2008, 10:44:11 AM
roll out video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7475687.stm
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Denholm on June 28, 2008, 10:47:02 AM
It has that distinct snout of an Airbus. Wonder if the pilots just sit back and watch the plane fly itself just like the other Airbus'.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: CAP1 on June 28, 2008, 11:25:35 AM
A400M has double the weight carrying capacity of the C-130, and its engines are twice as powerful.  C-130J costs 66mil, A400 costs 100mil.

so almost double the cost too.
probaly better off using 2 tried and true c-130's

<<S>>
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: AquaShrimp on June 28, 2008, 12:15:38 PM
100 is not almost twice 66.  Go back to school.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: CAP1 on June 28, 2008, 12:25:53 PM
100 is not almost twice 66.  Go back to school.

double would be 132. 100 IS almost double.

add the fact that by the time they're delivered, they'll be much much more/.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: angelsandair on June 28, 2008, 12:58:04 PM
IMO looks like garbage.  Hope it flies better than it appears.

Same here, and I doubt it. It might fly higher... :rolleyes:
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Hazzer on June 28, 2008, 01:50:53 PM

 My bad,they are counter rotating,you can see it clearly in the picture.
 
 Those Europrop TP 400 engines look super efficient.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: croduh on June 28, 2008, 01:53:06 PM
Looks pretty to me.Mean too with the refueling pipe and props :t
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: john9001 on June 28, 2008, 02:49:56 PM
they are not counter rotating, that one prop was installed backwards.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Captfish on June 28, 2008, 02:59:05 PM
they are not "contra-rotating"
they are "counter-rotating"

two completely diffrent meanings look it up.

SWEET plane :aok :aok
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Fulmar on June 28, 2008, 03:06:43 PM
Those props have Jazz hands.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Mackay on June 28, 2008, 03:10:20 PM
Looks to be about the size of a C-141A, and since it's prop driven it'll be slower than a C-141 was. It'll have better short/rough field capability though over a C-141 but probably not as good as the C-130. The counter rotating props are kinda messed up since you have to supply 2 different drive trains for one aircraft. Would have been easier to make them all turn the same direction, but there is probably a performance reason for them doing it this way.

All in all a decent medium transport that will find a niche in the air transport community.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Rollins on June 28, 2008, 03:43:48 PM
Those props have Jazz hands.

 :lol
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Furball on June 28, 2008, 03:52:15 PM
Seems an impressive aircraft from the performance on the web site.

It struck me immediately that it just looks like a C-17 with props.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/C-17_Globemaster_III_at_Avalon_2005_2.jpg/800px-C-17_Globemaster_III_at_Avalon_2005_2.jpg)
(http://www.airbusmilitary.com/images/1strollout06.jpg)
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: soda72 on June 28, 2008, 04:11:40 PM
I'm sure borda will be here shortly to tell us how this design came from Russia..

 :D
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Fulmar on June 28, 2008, 04:13:49 PM
Water was invented in Russia.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Fishu on June 28, 2008, 04:13:53 PM
The one thing that I don't like in the outlooks of any Airbus model is the nose section.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Fishu on June 28, 2008, 04:14:57 PM
It struck me immediately that it just looks like a C-17 with props.

Yeah, we share the same laws of physics over here in Europe too.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: RAIDER14 on June 28, 2008, 04:19:02 PM
The C130 was used as the testbed for the engine
(http://www.airbusmilitary.com/images/1stftbrun.jpg)

Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Rino on June 28, 2008, 05:00:16 PM
State of the art Transport,it looks right I hope it's as successful as the civil Airbus projects.The wings are carbon fibre and made here in Britain. :aok
 
The props are not contra-rotating by the way.

     Looking at the flags displayed, I'd say Europe will support their homegrown
quite nicely.  I do think that England will be the only one to use it though...
the rest don't really need a deployable force anyway, well not one that would
need that kind of space.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Fishu on June 28, 2008, 05:24:21 PM
The C130 was used as the testbed for the engine

Wow, that puts the size of the engine into a perspective. It looks to be somewhat large engine.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: 68Wooley on June 28, 2008, 06:03:22 PM
... I do think that England will be the only one to use it though...

Sorry to be pedantic, but England doesn't have an army. There are, however, many English men and women serving in the British armed forces.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Newman5 on June 28, 2008, 06:31:23 PM
I like it!!
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Reschke on June 28, 2008, 09:37:09 PM
Those are huge engines when you see them installed on that Hercules. As for the cost that isn't a bad figure to have on a roll out for an aircraft...I don't think any US aircraft rolls off the assembly line for less than 4 billion each these days now.

:D
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: mensa180 on June 28, 2008, 10:19:00 PM
they are not counter rotating, that one prop was installed backwards.

Oh, thanks for the clear up.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Yeager on June 29, 2008, 12:05:21 AM
Great looking airplane.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Furball on June 29, 2008, 01:16:12 AM
Yeah, we share the same laws of physics over here in Europe too.


Being 'over here in Europe' and being able to sit here comfortably and type rather than floating around the room, i would agree with your statement.  I wasn't saying that it is a copy of the C-17, just that it looks like it.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Hazzer on June 29, 2008, 05:12:44 AM
(http://[IMG]http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/hazzer39/3330.jpg)[/img]

The Russian Antonov AN-22,remains the largest ever turboprop Transport,an old design now but still impressive.This does have contra-rotating props,I suspect counter rotating on the same wing gives similar benefits with lower maintenance.

 Turboprops are still the most economic form of propulsion for large aircraft,including turbofans,and the large europrop engines are getting close to turbofan performance.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Hazzer on June 29, 2008, 05:13:49 AM
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/hazzer39/3330.jpg?t=1214734400)
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Gh0stFT on June 29, 2008, 08:29:34 AM
Great looking Airplane  :aok

I allready flight tested it on FSX, looks great!  :D

(http://www.sim-outhouse.com/soh_ftp/fs2k4/A400MHERO4SOH.gif)
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: expat on June 29, 2008, 08:37:59 AM
There's been a few problems with the Herc engine test , it will only turn to the right      :)
The Herc used  to be Snoopy   , bit of history for ya's
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Nilsen on June 29, 2008, 10:34:34 AM
     Looking at the flags displayed, I'd say Europe will support their homegrown
quite nicely.  I do think that England will be the only one to use it though...
the rest don't really need a deployable force anyway, well not one that would
need that kind of space.

Lol where did that come from? Even an airforce that never leaves its own borders would need a transport like this. The 130s we have have been litterally everywere from the north to the south pole doing anything from transporting scientists to troos and supplies into combat.

We would have ordered them too if it was not for the late delivery and the fact that the old c130s were getting to old to be safe. We will get the first stretched c130j-30 this fall.
Title: Re: First Airbus A400 Roll Out
Post by: Nilsen on June 29, 2008, 10:36:20 AM
From what i have read the counter rotating props are there to give more stability if one or two engines dies.