August 3, 2023 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Marine Corps now has unit in Indo-Pacific flying Reaper drones
The drones will serve as “the airborne quarterback” for the new littoral regiment.
November 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace
German military refuses new A400M deliveries over safety concerns
CLEMENT CHARPENTREAU
The Bundeswehr, the German military, announced it would not accept deliveries of two A400M Atlas transport aircraft due to recurring technical problems.
While defining the aircraft as the “backbone” of its air transport capabilities, the Bundeswehr is concerned about recurring technical problems affecting its fleet. “During routine inspections of the mounting nuts on the propellers of the A400M already in flight, it was found that not all 24 nuts per propeller have the intended tightening torque,” revealed the Luftwaffe, the German air force, in a statement.
Increased inspections of the engine mounts, combustion chambers, and engine flap, as well as crack testing on several points, are also required and reduce the readiness of the A400M fleet.
In addition to technical deficiencies, the two latest aircraft that were about to be delivered did not meet the “contractually guaranteed properties”, leading to the refusal.
So far, the Bundeswehr has received 31 of the 53 A400M it ordered. In total, 174 A400M airlifters were ordered, with 84 already in service. Outside of the partner countries of the program, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and Turkey that total 170 orders, the remaining four were acquired by Malaysia.
AeroTime has reached out to Airbus for comment but did not receive an answer at the time this article was published.
The A400M is a military transport aircraft designed by Airbus Defence and Space. It entered service in 2013, and is offered as a successor for older transporters such as the C-130 Hercules or the C-160 Transall. It recently achieved the certification flight test for the highly awaited simultaneous dispatch of paratroopers from both side doors. The feature had been delayed by the design shortcomings of static lines.
On the same subject
-
-
October 21, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Here’s when the first T-7 trainer is to fly to Edwards Air Force Base
Mark your calendar: The U.S. Air Force plans to fly its first T-7A Red Hawk trainer halfway across the country for testing.
-
February 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace
SCAF : la connectivité des systèmes sera assurée par Airbus et Thales
Airbus et Thales ont signé un accord afin de mener conjointement le développement de l'Air Combat Cloud du SCAF. Qui dit système de systèmes, dit connectivité. En effet, le SCAF rime avec combat collaboratif et échange de données entre les différentes plateformes intégrées. Airbus et Thales ont donc signé un accord le 20 février, officialisant leur collaboration sur le volet Air Combat Cloud du SCAF. Une première phase de démonstrations sera conduite au cours des 18 prochains mois, dans le cadre du contrat Phase 1A du SCAF. Les travaux qui seront réalisés lors de cette première étape serviront de base aux développements futurs. Données. Un travail important attend donc désormais les deux industriels, au regard de l'avancée technologique qui caractérise les vecteurs du SCAF. Que ce soit le NGF (nex generation fighter), les remote carriers (drones d'accompagnement) mais également toutes les plateformes d'ores et déjà existantes, ces aéronefs collectent une quantité de plus en plus importante de données. Celles-ci doivent être triées, traitées et analysées, afin de fournir une information enrichie aux opérationnels et les aider dans leur prise de décision. « Au sein du SCAF, l'Air Combat Cloud va, en temps réel, connecter et synchroniser toutes les plateformes et permettre de traiter et distribuer l'information afin d'améliorer la connaissance situationnelle et permettre la conduite d'opérations en collaboration », détaille Thales. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/scaf-la-connectivit-des-systmes-sera-assure-par-airbus-et-thales-22622