A400M on time with 6th Contractual Milestone

“A remarkable and powerful cockpit mock-up”, was how the OCCAR A400M Programme Manager described the Class Two Mock-up presented by Airbus Military and accepted by the Customer representatives on September 22nd. As well as being another demonstration of the rapid progress being made, the event also marked the successful achievement of the sixth contractual milestone of the A400M programme.

The Class Two A400M Cockpit mock-up is a significant step forward in the development process. Whereas previous cockpit mockup tools consist of digital models or wooden structures, the Class Two mock-up is an exact replica of the aircraft's operational cockpit. It is essentially a full-scale laboratory designed to test and verify a number of important parameters in the overall cockpit environment, especially the effectiveness of the man-machine interface.

OCCAR and South Africa Representatives acknowledging the completion of Milestone 6

Parameters to be studied include crew comfort and mobility, ergonomics, field of vision inside and outside the cockpit, ventilation, access and egress, and the viability of equipment/structure interfaces.

Some of the most important tests to be carried out in this facility are those designed to verify the interior light levels of the cockpit under all conditions as well as night vision compatibility for the flight crew, especially when using Night Vision Goggles (NVG).