More Followon in Aviation Week

My Aviation Week came in today.  It has a full page article on the A400M crash in Spain.  Aviation Week is supporting it's earlier story, the computer engine control system screwed up, and shut down three or perhaps all four engines during or shortly after takeoff.  That will do it every time.  You need engine power on takeoff, you are close to the ground, and any loss of altitude means a crash.  Once you get up to cruising altitude, tens of thousands of feet, you have minutes before the plane hits the ground, minutes in which to get the engines back on line. 
  Airbus is really worried.  If the software problem is bad enough, the fix might require re-certification of the software, a lengthy (months long) process that would cost like crazy.  Airbus wanted to build, deliver, and get paid for, 23 new aircraft this year.  At say $100 million each, that's some real money for Airbus.  If they are all tied up re-certifying the engine control software, they won't get paid. 

Retirement before entering service?

Airbus Military announced that the prototype A400M transport aircraft has been retired.  A400M is the pan European heavy transport program.  The aircraft are huge 4 engine turboprops.  The first deliverable model only handed over to the French air force this summer.  It will take years of production to fill all the back orders for the aircraft.  Surely Airbus will have some engineering change orders needing flight check soon.
  So why retire the prototype?  These things ain't cheap, something like $100 million each.  Is the prototype so bent and broken that nobody wants  to fly it anymore?  Why not fix it up and bring it up to standard and ship it, and get paid for it?  Or use it for research and development.  Surely there are programs that could use a truly big airlifter for something?