Rumors that EADS Will Abandon A400M Transport

They have suspended production and the prototype is yet to fly, though the engine has finally taken to the air in the C-130 testbed, and now the Financial Times Deutschland is reporting that EADS is considering walking away from the contract.

I'm not sure how that would work, but EADS is facing some fairly substantial penalties for the delays, and

My guess is that the rumors, and the dire statements made by EADS executives, are an attempt to move negotiations on delays in their favor.