§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the projected noise footprint of the A400M; and what is the noise footprint of the Hercules C130J. [26346]
§ Dr. MoonieThe A400M aircraft will meet all current international noise regulations, but exact noise characteristics will not be known until the aircraft's development and flight tests have been completed. The C130J aircraft meets all relevant US Federal Aviation 551W Authority civil noise regulations. The Ministry of Defence does not hold noise information on the C130J in the form requested. We expect the noise characteristics of the A400M and the C130J will be similar. But their overall noise impact should be less than that of the C130K aircraft they are replacing, because significantly greater usage of ground simulators for training will reduce the overall number of flights.