An important milestone in the A400M Flight Test Bed programme happened in May with the first ground runs of the Europrop International (EPI) TP400-D6 engine and Ratier-Figeac propeller installed upon the Marshall-owned C-130 test aircraft.

The ground runs enable the engineers to test and measure the engine starts, nacelle ventilation, intake distortion, engine noise behaviour and undertake the
vibration stress survey to clear the new Ratier-Figeac/ Hamilton Sundstrand propeller. In total over 30 hours of ground running is foreseen before the aircraft can be cleared for flight, and during this phase Marshall Aerospace (MA) is delivering data recorded from its Data Acquisition System to provide Airbus Military with key data on engine, propeller and nacelle performances.

During the initial ground runs, checks are performed to confirm the aircraft, engine and propeller interfaces, and flight test instrumentation. In addition, the propulsion system undergoes low power and high power static runs that will be followed by low speed and highspeed taxi tests and consequently the flight test campaign.

Additionally, the second week of June saw the first ground run of the A400M's TP-400 engine fitted to the Marshall-owned C-130 Hercules Flying Test Bed (FTB). Marshall Aerospace, with whom the contract for the FTB programme has been placed, has made extensive modifications to their C-130 in order to accommodate what is the most powerful turboprop engine yet produced in western Europe. These modifications concern both the airframe and systems and include considerable revision of the Aircraft Operating Instructions and the Aircrew Manuals to encompass the procedures for operating the aircraft with two different engine and propeller types simultaneously.