EADS is slowing down production of the Airbus Military A400M as it grapples with ongoing delays to the start of flight testing of the airlifter's EuroProp International TP400 engine.

The European manufacturer says it has "decided a slowdown on the A400M production to take into account some uncertainties on the agenda, as previously announced. Production is not stopping, it is only being adjusted to these constraints," it adds.

In September EADS confirmed that the first flight date of the A400M had slipped beyond the end of this year, due to the "unavailability of the propulsion system". The aircraft's maiden flight had originally been targeted for January 2008.

The programme is still waiting for the TP400's flying test bed - a Lockheed Martin C-130 modified by Marshall Airspace - to get airborne.

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Source: Flight International