|
 The request comes after the discovery of a potential anomaly in the
system running the plane's turboprop engines.
However, one person familiar with the findings said evidence
gathered so far appeared to suggest a "quality" problem rather than
a fundamental design flaw.
Four crew members were killed when an A400M crashed in Spain on May
during a pre-delivery flight test.
Airbus said it had issued an alert asking air forces to examine the
plane's 'Electronic Control Unit' before the next flight.
The unit controls the engines and is part of a suite of software
systems that were partly blamed for earlier delays and cost overruns
in building the troop and cargo carrier.
Additionally, nations operating the plane must carry out other
checks whenever this unit or an engine is replaced.
"To avoid potential risks in any future flights, Airbus Defense and
Space has informed the operators about necessary actions to take," a
statement said.
The call for engine-related checks confirms an earlier Reuters
report.
So far, few if any clues have emerged from the 'black box' flight
recorders, at least one of which has been sent to the United States
for examination.
The potential area of concern was discovered by Airbus in its own
review.
"It is a precautionary measure which is part of our continued
airworthiness activities," the spokeswoman said.
[to top of second column] |
The Airbus A400M was developed at a cost of 20 billion euros in
Europe's largest defence project.
It is powered by the West's largest turboprop engines, designed by
Britain's Rolls-Royce, France's Safran and MTU Aero Engines of
Germany.
Problems in developing the engines, and particularly in certifying
the engine control software, contributed to three years of delays
and a new cash injection by governments in 2010.
The Electronic Control Unit is one of two pieces of complex software
that make up the engine control system, or FADEC, whose development
was led by Munich-based MTU Aero Engines.
The crash came amid new delays in fitting the aircraft with military
systems and raised further questions over the timing of deliveries
after Spain suspended pre-delivery test flights.
Airbus has said the deliveries are "under review".
The A400M has been delivered so far to Britain, France, Germany,
Turkey and Malaysia, which is so far the only export customer. Other
buyers include Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Sonia Dowsett, Sabine Siebold; Editing by
Leila Abboud)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
