More bad news for the A400???

Last week it was the UK threatening to leave the program. Now the Germans……..So, could the program survive if they did???

BERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Germany may soon decide to abandon the Airbus A400M military transporter plane because of delays to Europe’s biggest military programme, a German magazine reported on Saturday.

Der Spiegel reported if Airbus does not soon explain whether and how it can solve the problems, German procurement officials would advise Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung to end the contract. The weekly quoted Defence Ministry sources.

A spokesman for the Defence Ministry said there was a continual dialogue going on with the company on the issue.

“But there are no contractual negotiations,” he said.

There have been months of delays in tests for the plane, causing friction between participants in the 20 billion euro ($25.35 billion) project and European governments that have ordered the plane.

Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA), facing severe penalties for late delivery, has suspended the maiden flight indefinitely.

Commissioned by seven European NATO countries in 2003, the A400M was originally billed as Europe’s most ambitious cross-border arms procurement project which includes orders for a total of 192 planes.

Britain and Germany have expressed anger over delays, which include problems with its massive engines. In the last week, a British parliamentary panel urged Britain to consider abandoning the plane due to the delays.

Der Spiegel said German defence officials expect French President Nicolas Sarkozy to urge Merkel to keep Germany’s commitment to the transporter.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)