Airbus took just ten years to develop its new super-jumbo jet! At the Paris Air Show in 1995, Airbus presented a 3D mockup of the A3XX, as it was then known. The A380 was officially launched five years later, with initial orders from airlines including Emirates and Air France. The A380 has become a reality in record time for a program of this size!

Living up to the old adage that good things come in bunches, just a few days prior to the official presentation of the first A380, No. F-WW0WW, Airbus announced a firm order from UPS for ten A380-Cargo aircraft, along with options on ten more. Airbus has now booked firm orders for 139 A380s from 13 customers. For Snecma, the success of the A380 is also a success for the seven group companies that contribute to both the engines and equipment on the largest commercial jetliner ever built.

67 A380s powered by the GP7200

Snecma has a 17.5% stake in the GP7200 engine being produced by the Engine Alliance (an equal joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney), through two companies, Snecma Moteurs and Techspace Aero.

On the GP7200, one of two engines on offer to customers, Snecma Moteurs is responsible for most of the 9-stage high-pressure compressor, while Techspace Aero developed and produces the low-pressure compressor. Development models of the GP7200 engine have been undergoing ground tests since March 2004. The first flight of a GP7200 on a Boeing 747 testbed was carried out by General Electric in December 2004. Certification is expected in the third quarter of 2005, with service entry following in October 2006 on Emirates Airlines’ A380s. Four customers to date - Air France, Emirates, Fedex and ILFC - have chosen the GP7200 for 67 aircraft, giving the engine a 61% market share.

Hurel-Hispano, a single nacelle supplier

The A380 rolled out on January 18 will be fitted with the other engine being offered, the Rolls-Royce Trent 900, which was certified in November 2004. Back in 2001, Airbus selected Hurel-Hispano, the nacelle specialist in the Snecma group, as the sole supplier of nacelles for both the Trent 900 and the GP7200. The first complete nacelles mounted on the Trent 900 were delivered to Airbus in November for the flight tests that will start this year. The nacelles for the GP7200 were delivered to the Engine Alliance last October for tests on the flying testbed, which kicked off successfully on December 3.

These nacelles are fitted with the first electromechanical thrust reverser actuation system (ETRAS). Designed by Hispano-Suiza in partnership with Honeywell, the ETRAS system has already carried out successful initial test flights, demonstrating concept validity and system operation. ETRAS is based on electrical power instead of the hydraulic power used until now to control the thrust reversers. Certification is slated for the end of 2005.

Landing, braking and wiring systems

Messier-Dowty provides the nose landing gear for the super-jumbo jet, stretching nearly five meters high. Messier-Bugatti supplies a number of items for both the nose gear and the centerline gear, which has 20 wheels, including the all-electric braking system, the nose and main-wheel steering system, tire pressure, brake temperature and landing gear monitoring systems, electrohydraulic actuator (EHA) mini-pumps for standby flight controls, and equipment for the hydraulic circuit distribution system. Two other Snecma group companies work with Messier-Bugatti on the A380: Sofrance for filtration of the hydraulic circuits, and Technofan for the brake cooling system. In addition Technofan is responsible for the entire avionics bay cooling system, and all cabin ventilation equipment.

Labinal, specialist in aircraft wiring, delivered all wiring harnesses for the first A380 to Airbus in 2004. The company has started design studies and initial production of harnesses for A380 No. 3, the first production-standard A380, which will be delivered to Singapore Airlines.