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PARIS, (Reuters): The A400M military transporter being developed by Airbus for European NATO countries is on time but faces “critical” risks in some areas, the European planemaker's parent, EADS, said late on Friday.
After a two-month review, EADS said the “program challenges ahead until first delivery in 2009 are assessed as significant and the review has clearly identified several critical risk areas: systems design (in particular electrical harnesses), maturity of military mission systems, engine modifications, remaining work to be done on the Final Assembly Line.”
Delays in the installation of electrical harnesses, or wiring loops inside the aircraft, were the main cause of a two-year delay in the civil A380 superjumbo announced earlier this year.
“The review team has proposed detailed mitigating actions to comply with the delivery schedule committed to customers. These actions were endorsed by the CEOs of EADS and the Board of Directors,” EADS said following a board meeting.
It did not say what the actions were.
Airbus has consistently said the A400M airlifter is on time but acknowledged in September that there was little of the usual margin for error built into large-scale projects.
The EADS board also approved funding for the A350 civil airliner which had been threatened by cash shortages stemming from the A380 delays and resulting penalties and deferred revenues.
