Europeans stall on ambitious air transport plans

It's more bad news for the Airbus 400M: Europe's planned showpiece heavy military air transport aircraft is now nearly four years behind schedule and almost $6.5 billion over budget.

The aircraft was planned to be the first 21st century, major military airlifter that could compete in the international arms market with the venerable veteran giants from the United States: the Boeing (formerly McDonnell-Douglas) C-17 Globemaster and the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.

But instead, the A400M is now at least another three years from delivery, French newspaper Le Figaro reported last week.

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