§ Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a suitable turbo-prop engine exists for the A400M military transport aircraft or whether it will be necessary to produce an entirely new design; and, if so, what are the related project risks; and [HL2735]
What is the estimated cost of developing the turbo-prop engines to be fitted to the A400M military transport aircraft. [HL2736]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The prime contract with Airbus Military is for development and production of the A400M, including its turbo-prop engines, and specifies performance guarantees that Airbus Military must achieve. No existing turbo-prop engine achieves the power or efficiency required for the A400M aircraft. Any technical risks in developing a turbo-prop engine lie with Airbus Military.
The integrated nature of the contract specifies the overall A400M capability to be delivered by Airbus Military; no separate engine development costs are identified.