Written question asked by Lord Gilbert (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative) on Tuesday, 19 July 2011.

Armed Forces: A-400M

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any estimate of (a) the length of the delay, and (b) the increase in cost, to its order of A-400M aircraft following the discovery of defects which led to its partial grounding at the 2011 Paris Air Show.

Answer: The engine problems recently experienced by A400M prototype aircraft during flight trials is precisely the type of event that is sometimes revealed during development flight testing. Investigations into the cause of these problems are under way, and the A400M partner nations remain in close contact with Airbus Military, the prime contractor, throughout this process. Given that delivery of the first UK A400M is not expected until the second half of 2014, our current assessment is that these engine problems will not have any impact on projected delivery dates. Similarly, as the A400M design and production phase contract is a fixed price contract, these engine problems should not have any effect on the cost of the UK's A400M order.

Secondary information