| Airbus unveils carbon fiber plane |
It has been 26 years in the making. Arguments have raged between Europe's capitals over its design, its cost and where it should be built.
But later, in Seville, the King of Spain will unveil the Airbus A400M, built for air forces across Europe including the RAF. A grand ceremony has been promised. Journalists, politicians and VIPs are flying in from Germany, France, Italy, and the UK.
A 50-seater plane has been chartered from Airbus UK's headquarters at Filton, outside Bristol. But the plane will not fly on Thursday. It will not even fire its engines. This is a "roll out", where the world sees the completed aircraft for the first time.
The maiden flight will occur later in the summer, but no date has yet been specified.
So why is there such a fuss about a plane that cannot even take off yet? The answer lies mainly in its wings.
They are made mostly of hi-tech carbon fiber and are manufactured in the UK.
There are metal elements, but there is more carbon fiber in this plane than anything Airbus has yet made.
Dave Phipps is head of Airbus' carbon fiber research department at Filton.
"Making wings out of carbon fiber cuts the fuel consumption by at least 20%," he said. "It's a revolutionary technology. It is so much lighter, and yet just as strong and just as safe."
The A400M will replace the ageing fleet of C-130 Hercules that see action daily in Afghanistan and Iraq. After two decades of political posturing and technical problems, Airbus have to get this plane right. And much will be made of its carbon fiber wings.
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