Ole Bill wrote this for Aviation Week this morning...
US interest in the A400M is likely to emerge mid-decade, according to
EADS North America CEO Sean O'Keefe. At the company's pre-Paris media
seminar, O'Keefe noted that the USAF is likely to retire its oldest C-5A
heavy transports before 2020.
"That leaves a hole in the big
airbase, heavy-payload role," O'Keefe points out, and Boeing C-17s will
be pulled into that mission - opening up the need for new tactical
airlifters. "At that point, we'll have a hot production line", O'Keefe
says, "and there isn't going to be any new US program."
However,
Airbus Military is not going to do any intensive marketing until the
A400M completes testing and gains its commercial type certificate, due
next year.
Damn this guy is wishing on a star.
Boeing is slow walking C-17 production with an eye toward the same future that EADS sees with the A400M.
And the A400M will face the same issues it faces today.
Smaller payload than the C-17.
Shorter ranged than the C-17.
Slower than the C-17.
Worldwide acceptance and service.
Costs just a few mill less than the C-17.
And thats looking at it today. Looking into the future I can see the C-17 getting stretched....Uprated engines...improved avionics...increased fuel efficiency measures...better aircraft defense countermeasures...a dedicated Special Operations version...
The list is endless and this clown from EADS thinks he's going to bust into the US market with an inbetween airplane that isn't as good as the industry leader and costs about the same?
Whatever he's smoking, I recommend he stop. And I hope this type thinking is drug induced...if he's sober then they need a new CEO.
NOTE:
The weirdest thing about the whole A400 saga is the fact that when they first designed it and brought it to market, it was suppose to be a C-130 killer.
Lockheed Martin got nervous----started designing XL C-130's....the USAF was even starting to make noise about it because it was suppose to be the perfect plane to go along with the Stryker Brigades....
And then two things happened.
1. The Stryker gained weight. Alot of weight. C-17 airlift type weight.
2. The cost point of the A400 expanded to enormous proportions.
Now I can imagine Boeing executives are sitting back watching EADS spin like tea leaves and laughing there asses off. The standard EADS model of building 'in betweener' aircraft bit EADS. They deserve it.
