Europrop International (EPI) GmbH is a

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...

set up in 2002 in the form of a company governed by German law, by the four main

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...

manufacturers,

MTU Aero Engines MTU Aero Engines AG is a German aircraft engine manufacturer. MTU develops, manufactures and provides service support for military and civil aircraft engines. MTU Aero Engines was formerly known as MTU München. History While the Munich-based en ...

Safran Aircraft Engines Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It ...

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

and

ITP Aero ITP Aero (Industria de Turbo Propulsores) is a Spanish aero engine and gas turbine manufacturer. It was established in 1989 as a joint venture between Spain, Spanish engineering conglomerate SENER and Rolls-Royce Plc. By 2015, it had grown to b ...

. EPI GmbH is tasked with designing, developing, marketing, manufacturing and providing support for the TP400-D6 turboprop engine designed to power the

Airbus A400M Atlas The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capab ...

military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to ma ...

built by

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...

. The TP400 is the most powerful

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

in the world currently in production. Pooling the expertise of each engine manufacturer, Europrop International GmbH brings together around 2,500 people across Europe who are invested in the TP400-D6 program. Based in Munich, the Europrop International teams also operate out of Madrid, Seville and Berlin. The final assembly of the TP400-D6 engine is carried out in Munich before being delivered to Airbus in Seville.

History

Europrop was established in 2002. One year after its inception the TP400 was selected by

Airbus Military Airbus Military was a business unit of Airbus, which was part of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) from 2009 to 2013. The company was formally created in April 2009 by the integration of the former Military Transport Aircraft D ...

to design the engine to power the A400M. In 2004, work began on analyzing the engine design, with the initial ground tests taking place a year later. The first engine run with propeller took place in 2006, with the first flight of the TP400 aboard a testbed taking place in 2008. The first flight of the A400M took place in 2009. Two years later the TP400 engine received

EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monitori ...

certification. The first engines were delivered in 2012. The

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

began using the

A400M The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabi ...

in 2013. The following year, the engine was delivered to a further three countries: Turkey, the United Kingdom and Germany. The year 2015 marked the first delivery to the

Royal Malaysian Air Force The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, ms, Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia; TUDM; Jawi: ) was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (; ). However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force format ...

, the first export customer for the A400M and TP400, and in 2016, the first delivery was made to the

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

. In 2017, EPI GmbH signed a support contract with the

, which was extended in 2019.

References

{{Snecma aeroengines Multinational aircraft engine manufacturers Gas turbine manufacturers Aerospace companies of Europe