A400M receives initial type certificate

[mhm]

May 4: Airbus Military has received the initial type certification for the A400M new generation airlifter, marking a key milestone on the road to first delivery at the end of the year.

This first approval, known as a Restricted Type Certificate (RTC), was presented by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Executive Director Patrick Goudou at an internal ceremony today in Toulouse, France.

The RTC is a critical step towards the award of full civil type certification, which is expected in mid-2012 following the completion of 300 hours of function and reliability (F&R) flight tests, and towards military Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) later in the year.
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