The nickname “Grizzly” for the A400M started being used by the aircrew and groundcrew within a couple of weeks of the handover of the aircraft to the flight-test team.

The first flight of the A400M, callsign Grizzly One, took place at Seville on 11^th December 2009.

Chief Test Pilot Military, Edward “Ed” Strongman, captained the flight supported by Experimental Test Pilot Ignacio “Nacho” Lombo. The engineering team on board included: Senior Flight Test Engineer Jean-Philippe Cottet who had responsibility for the powerplants; Senior Flight Test Engineer Eric Isorce with responsibility for the aircraft systems and performance; Senior Flight Test Engineer Didier Ronceray with responsibility for the handling qualities of the aircraft; and Test Flight Engineer Gerard Leskerpit.