Could Mobile build A400M?

America is key to export sales of the A400M, as Airbus Defense and Space prepares to pitch it to the biggest Western military market amid recent technical troubles. "The US will be our target, but clearly not today," Fernando Alonso, head of the company's military aircraft division, told journalists June 20. Airbus is still focusing on fixing cracks on its propeller gearbox and cracks on the central part of the fuselage on some aircraft. There already is American content in the A400M, and the share of that equipment would rise if a U.S. deal were to be sealed. No details were immediately available, but the four-engine turboprop could be assembled in Mobile, Ala., where Airbus built a factory for the A320 jetliner. (Source: Defense News, 06/23/16)