The Airbus A400M has cleared its entire normal flight envelope on its second test flight completed earlier today, the manufacturer says.
Coming 12 days after the A400Ms first flight, the second sortie involved reaching maximum operating speed of 300kt (555km/hr) and maximum Mach number of M0.72.
Test pilot Nacho Lombo and Ed Strongman piloted the aircraft during the 3hr10min flight, which ranged from Seville to northern Spain at a cruising altitude of 30,000ft (9,144m)
Fernando Alonso, Airbus head of flight operations, noted earlier programmes required several flights to achieve the same number of test points.
Airbus plans to complete 1,200hr during the three-year flight test programme. The third flight is not expected until after 1 January.
Source: Flight International
