"The armed forces have decided not to accept two A400Ms due for delivery," the Luftwaffe (air force) said in a statement, adding that "our soldiers' safety in their daily use of the A400M aircraft is top priority for us." Repeated technical problems have dogged the A400M programme, a turboprop transport aircraft developed jointly for Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey. Now, routine checks on some of the Luftwaffe's 31 planes have found "not all 24 nuts per propeller had the correct tightening torque," the air force said. With each inspection taking around 30 man-hours, the discovery poses "significant challenges" to 62 Air Transport Squadron, which operates the A400M. Earlier this year, pan-European aircraft maker Airbus renegotiated contract terms with the purchasing countries' governments over the huge cost overruns and delays.

Source: The Local November 13, 2019 13:13 UTC