The certified A400M

(BRUXELLES2) It's a stamp worth gold. Airbus Military - the firm that manufactures the A400M - received full type certification for the next-generation military transport aircraft on Wednesday (March 13). Certificate issued by Norbert Lohl on behalf of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). " A crucial step towards the delivery of the first aircraft to the French Air Force” specifies the industrialist in a press release. This attribution is not entirely trivial. The A400M is indeed the first military transport aircraft (in the world) to have been designed and certified according to civil standards since its creation.

A big challenge...and some delays

For Cédric Gautier, Airbus A400M military chief of the program, this certification of the A400M to civil as well as military standards was " a huge challenge for us, our suppliers and EASA itself ". The word "challenge" is not stolen. The "civilian" certification requirement was one of the causes of the aircraft's delay (read: The Airbus A400M: the cause… the causes of the delay (dossier). But tomorrow it could be causes of the success of the plane. As provided by C. Gautier “ By providing a solid framework for certification to globally recognized standards, we will see significant benefits. And new customers will join the program. » The European plane benefits, in fact, from a serious lead over its competitors. And export sales will be able to resume.