Safran is celebrating today the first flight of the Airbus A330neo, the latest member of the Airbus A330 widebody twin-engine family.
Safran is a major supplier on this new jetliner, leveraging its expertise to provide the engine nacelles and power transmission, landing gear, wheels and carbon brakes, wiring and other electrical systems, and the data loading system.
Safran Nacelles is fully responsible for the A330neo's nacelles, from design to integration on the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, thus bolstering the Group's position in the widebody commercial jet market. Stretching 3.65 meters in diameter (12 ft), this nacelle is one of the largest in the world, along with the model used on the Airbus A380. It features the latest technologies from Safran Nacelles in terms of aerodynamics, acoustics and component integration, to help enhance the performance of the aircraft's propulsion system.
Safran Electrical & Power's contribution to the A330neo reflects the scope of expertise developed by Safran in equipping today's "more electric" aircraft. The company supplies the generator in the aircraft's APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), which is also used as a motor to start the APU, which in turn starts the jet engines, as well as the electrical cabinets that distribute the power needed to actuate the flight controls and control various systems, such as brakes, as well as all electrical wiring on the aircraft.
The landing gear are developed by Safran Landing Systems, wheels and carbon brakes are developed by Goodrich-Messier (a joint venture of Safran Landing Systems with UTC Aerospace Systems) . In fact, Safran is the world's leading supplier of carbon brakes for mainline commercial jets (over 100 seats).
This first flight is also a milestone for Aero Gearbox International, the joint company between Safran Transmission Systems and Rolls-Royce, which developed the power transmission for the Trent 7000 engine, its first application, in less than 24 months.
Safran Electronics & Defense supplies the data loading system for the A330neo, used to upload and redistribute the software updates for all avionics equipment on this airplane.
Commenting on this milestone, Safran CEO Philippe Petitcolin said, "This first flight symbolizes the success of the many Group companies who contributed to this program. It also underscores our ability to innovate, by adapting to the expectations of long-standing partners, such as the aircraft manufacturer Airbus."