The first A400M prototype, MSN1, has arrived in Toulouse for further flight testing after being ferried from Seville in Spain.
The ferry flight was the 10th for the aircraft since its first flight on December 11, and it has completed 39 flight test hours to date. During initial testing, MSN1 has achieved its maximum operating speed of 300kt and maximum Mach number of 0.72, and has flown at an altitude of 30,000ft.
The second flight test aircraft, MSN2, is due to fly by the end of April, while MSN3 is currently undergoing final production tests before engine installation, and is due to fly mid year.
EADS and the A400M’s European military partners reached an agreement last week which will see the troubled project move forward through the provision of additional funding by the partner governments.
