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Airbus Defence and Space (DS) recently doubled the production rate of its A400M Atlas airlifter as it looks to make good on delayed deliveries, the company has revealed.
Production at the final assembly line (FAL) in Seville, Spain, has now been raised from 1.25 to 2.5 aircraft per month in an attempt to address the backlog in deliveries that has built up as a result of what the company calls 'supplier problems'.
"We've upped the pace so that we can catch up in terms of deliveries," the head of A400M manufacturing, Andreas Thürnagel, told the company's in-house On Airmagazine, adding, "We can't afford any hold-ups."
Airbus DS had planned to accelerate production to 2.5 aircraft per month at the end of 2015, but its decision to bring this forward by eight months follows on the back of failed delivery targets in 2013 and 2014. To date, only 11 of the 174 aircraft currently on order with eight nations have been delivered.
Before disclosing its early ramp-up, Airbus DS instigated several measures to try to improve production. These included specifying 'recovering the A400M' as one of the company's eight core goals for 2015, as well as a reshuffle of the programme's top management.
One of those reshuffles saw Fernando Alonso move from the company's commercial division to become the new Head of Military Aircraft on 1 March. Speaking to On Airabout the A400M, he said, "It's time to change gear and to go into ramp-up mode. We need to speed up production and deliveries while developing the additional capabilities required by our customers. This won't be easy …"
Being a pan-European project, the A400M receives its wings from the UK; its fuselage, cargo ramp, and vertical-tail from Germany; its cockpit, landing gear, and centre wing-box from France; its horizontal stabilisers and engine cowlings from Spain; its flap components from Belgium; and its forward centre-fuselage and paratroop doors from Turkey.
The engines too are made by an international consortium before being fitted to the aircraft in Seville. According to Airbus DS, the problems surrounding assembly have been to do with in-complete components arriving at the FAL; problems which have now been rectified.
The FAL most recently received the components of aircraft MSN027, which is destined to be one of 22 aircraft for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF). With those aircraft delivered to date having been configured for a basic transportation role, Airbus DS plans to begin rolling out additional tactical capabilities leading to the release of the Full Common Standard Aircraft in 2018. It will then retrofit all earlier aircraft already delivered to this final standard.
Airbus doubles A400M production rate to claw back delivery delays - IHS Jane's 360
Airbus Defence and Space (DS) recently doubled the production rate of its A400M Atlas airlifter as it looks to make good on delayed deliveries, the company has revealed.
Production at the final assembly line (FAL) in Seville, Spain, has now been raised from 1.25 to 2.5 aircraft per month in an attempt to address the backlog in deliveries that has built up as a result of what the company calls 'supplier problems'.
"We've upped the pace so that we can catch up in terms of deliveries," the head of A400M manufacturing, Andreas Thürnagel, told the company's in-house On Airmagazine, adding, "We can't afford any hold-ups."
Airbus DS had planned to accelerate production to 2.5 aircraft per month at the end of 2015, but its decision to bring this forward by eight months follows on the back of failed delivery targets in 2013 and 2014. To date, only 11 of the 174 aircraft currently on order with eight nations have been delivered.
Before disclosing its early ramp-up, Airbus DS instigated several measures to try to improve production. These included specifying 'recovering the A400M' as one of the company's eight core goals for 2015, as well as a reshuffle of the programme's top management.
One of those reshuffles saw Fernando Alonso move from the company's commercial division to become the new Head of Military Aircraft on 1 March. Speaking to On Airabout the A400M, he said, "It's time to change gear and to go into ramp-up mode. We need to speed up production and deliveries while developing the additional capabilities required by our customers. This won't be easy …"
Being a pan-European project, the A400M receives its wings from the UK; its fuselage, cargo ramp, and vertical-tail from Germany; its cockpit, landing gear, and centre wing-box from France; its horizontal stabilisers and engine cowlings from Spain; its flap components from Belgium; and its forward centre-fuselage and paratroop doors from Turkey.
The engines too are made by an international consortium before being fitted to the aircraft in Seville. According to Airbus DS, the problems surrounding assembly have been to do with in-complete components arriving at the FAL; problems which have now been rectified.
The FAL most recently received the components of aircraft MSN027, which is destined to be one of 22 aircraft for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF). With those aircraft delivered to date having been configured for a basic transportation role, Airbus DS plans to begin rolling out additional tactical capabilities leading to the release of the Full Common Standard Aircraft in 2018. It will then retrofit all earlier aircraft already delivered to this final standard.
Airbus doubles A400M production rate to claw back delivery delays - IHS Jane's 360
