Airbus Military Services logistic hub starts operations

By BA Staff

The Airbus Military Services Logistic Hub has started operations in Seville, Spain, in line with the Full In-Service Support (FISS) model developed by the company. This hub delivers spare parts for all Airbus Military products worldwide as well as ground equipment for the operation of the fleet.

The new facility substantially strengthens the spare parts delivery procedure by improving reliability and cutting dispatch times. With the new Services Logistic Hub, 95% of customer’s requests for spare parts will be fulfilled within five days. For Aircraft-On-Ground (AOG) Service the dispatch time is reduced to a maximum of four hours. Delivery reliability has increased since the start of operations. The new set up will also mean a reduction in recurring operational costs of around €500,000 a year compared with traditional processes.

Philippe Galland, Head of Services, said

Putting in place this Services Logistic Hub will reduce our delivery lead-times and guarantee fleet availability. We will be more competitive thanks to the cost reduction and customer satisfaction will also improve

The Services Logistic Hub has been certified Part 145 by the Spanish agency for aviation safety AESA on behalf of its European counterpart EASA.

The FISS (Full In-Service Support) model is the integrated service model offered to all Airbus Military customers worldwide. It is based on years of experience providing support to customers around the world where and when they need it. The entry into service of the French Air Force’s first A400M at Orléans-Bricy air base is the latest example of FISS but it equally applies to the A330 MRTT, for example in the case of the Voyager at the Brize Norton base in the UK, and a growing number of C295 and CN235 operators. Today it covers around 90 aircraft of 11 customers, flying some 35,000 hours per year.

The new Services Logistic Hub employs 100 persons who manage about 22,500 different part numbers in its 8,300 square meters. Dispatch operations of the Airbus Military Services Logistic Hub are performed by Airbus lead logistic provider Kuehne&Nagel.

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High resolution photos of South African Airways A320, French Air Force A400M, Turkish Air Force A400M

Courtesy Airbus S.A.S. some high resolution photos for your enjoyment.

South African Airways takes delivery of its first two A320s 'classic'. Enjoy the livery.

The French Air Force (Armee De L'Air) took delivery of the first A400M transporter.

Not high resolution. The first flight of the first A400M destined for the Turkish Air Force.

All images are courtesy and copyright of Airbus and are used under fair use.

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First production Airbus A400M transporter makes its maiden flight

The first production Airbus Military A400M airlifter has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery to the French Air Force. The aircraft, MSN7, took off from Seville, Spain, at 11:48 local time (10:48Z) and landed back in Seville 5 hours and 42 minutes later.

Experimental Test Pilot Hugues Van Der Stichel, captained the flight.

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Video: Airbus Annual Press Conference 2013 (uncut)

Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier and other top Airbus executives reviewed the company's 2012 highlights and commercial activity, as well as detailed the company's strategies and prospects for 2013, during a traditional year-opening media event held in Toulouse, France today.

Scroll below for the video. It is 1h21m in length.

Synopsis

Airbus delivered a company record of 588 aircraft to 89 customers, 17 new, and exceeded its order target of 650 by winning 914 gross orders. These orders include 305 A320 family CEO (classic engine), 478 NEO (new engine option), 82 A330/A340s, 40 A350XWB and nine A380s. Airbus’ backlog is now at 4,682 aircraft valued at over US$638 billion.

Deliveries were 10 per cent higher than the 2011 record (534) and 2012 was the 11th year in a row of increased production. In single aisles, Airbus made 455 deliveries, up from 421 in 2011. Widebody deliveries reached a record 103 aircraft (87 in 2011), underlining the success of the A330 Family which is being produced at the highest monthly production rates ever, 9.5 in 2012 which will rise to 10 in early 2013. The A380 delivery target of 30 was achieved up from 26 in 2011.

Airbus’ share of total aircraft sales by value (above 100 seats) in 2012, is 41 per cent gross (41.5 per cent net). Net orders reached 833 aircraft worth US$96 billion. These include 739 A320 Family aircraft taking Airbus past the 9,000th single aisle order. Of these, 478 are NEO, confirming its over 62 per cent market dominance since launch. In the widebody market, 58 A330s and 27 A350 XWB were ordered. The A350-1000 won significant upsizing orders. In the very large aircraft segment, Airbus won nine out of 10 orders.

In 2012, the A350 XWB progressed well. The final assembly line became fully operational, the structural assembly of the first A350 XWB that will fly was completed and “electrical power on” of the aircraft was accomplished.

Airbus Military had a successful year delivering 29 aircraft (20 light and medium military transport, four P-3 conversions, and five A330 MRTTs). The order target was exceeded despite difficult global conditions, reaching 32 (28 C295 and four CN235). Additionally, the A330 MRTT was selected as the preferred bidder by the Indian Government.

The A400M progressed well with the completion of 300 hours of Function and Reliability testing leading towards civil and military certification in Q1 2013 and first delivery in Q2 2013, with a total of four deliveries by the end of the year. Currently four A400Ms are in final assembly with a further 13 in production. The military backlog stands at 220 aircraft (174 A400M, 17 MRTT, five CN235, and 20 C295 and four P-3).

Airbus recruited 5,000 employees in 2012 increasing the global employee figure to 59,000 and targets recruiting some 3,000 in 2013 to support all programme developments.

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Image: Airbus A400M transport lifts-off on maiden flight

Airbus Military’s all-new A400M took off for its maiden flight from Seville Airport in Spain from runway 09 at 10:15 local time (09:15Z).

In line with the extreme delays on this program even the first flight was delayed by 15 minutes. At the controls was Chief Test Pilot Military, Edward “Ed” Strongman, 60, with Experimental Test Pilot Ignacio “Nacho” Lombo, 43, in the right-hand seat. Four engineers are also on the aircraft: Senior Flight Test Engineer Jean-Philippe Cottet, 43, who has responsibility for the powerplants; Senior Flight Test Engineer Eric Isorce, 52, with responsibility for systems and performance; Senior Flight Test Engineer Didier Ronceray, 54, with responsibility for the handling qualities of the aircraft; and Test Flight Engineer Gerard Leskerpit, 50.

The aircraft, with a take-off weight of 127 tonnes, is equipped with 15 tonnes of flight-test equipment including two tonnes of water ballast and its performance is being monitored in realtime by teams of engineers in Seville and Toulouse.

Four all-new Europrop International (EPI) TP400D turboprop powerplants producing a massive 11,000shp (8,200kW) each are fitted to the plane.

The crew will explore the aircraft’s handling characteristics in the various flap configurations, check the powerplant operation and make initial evaluations of the aircraft’s systems.

Today’s first flight marks the beginning of a test campaign that will see about 3,700 hours of flying by an eventual test fleet of five aircraft conducted till the end of 2012 when it is expected to enter service with forces of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

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