BAE SYSTEMS DELIVERS THE FIRST A380 WING ASSEMBLY TO AIRBUS UK

BAE SYSTEMS today delivered the first Airbus A380 Inner Outboard Fixed Leading Edge wing assembly to Airbus at Broughton in North Wales from its Aerostructures business in Prestwick, Scotland.

Neil McManus, Managing Director of the Aerostructures business, said, "This is the first design and build contract for Aerostructures and we are proud to have achieved such a major milestone in both technology and capability development. It is a tremendous accomplishment for all involved and signifies our commitment to new commercial aircraft product development and further establishes our desire to be a major player in our market sector.�

The contract was awarded in 2002 and secured the design, development, manufacture and support work for the Airbus A380 Inner Outboard Fixed Leading Edge package. In less than 24 months, the wing assembly structure has been designed and manufactured using a truly global supply partner infrastructure covering Indonesia, North America, Malaysia as well as the UK.

Through collaborative partnerships with Altair in the UK, the software was developed, and with INBIS based in Preston, UK the design skills were applied to produce an innovative rib design, which resulted in an optimised weight saving over 500kg per aircraft. Exceptional team working has been an essential component in ensuring the total integration of design, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities.

Simon Foster, Project Director Airbus for BAE SYSTEMS Aerostructures business added: "The team has faced some major challenges but have pulled together and shown outstanding commitment to delivering this product against difficult timescales, whilst the new aircraft programme has been simultaneously developed. This achievement compliments our capabilities and places us in a leading position within the major commercial structures market.�

The delivery represents a major milestone in the development of the new 555-seater aeroplane. Following delivery to Airbus at Broughton the structure will be assembled, together with the other A380 wing components, into complete wings and then transported to the aircraft final assembly line in Toulouse, France.

Tom Williams, Managing Director and General Manager, Airbus UK, has this to say: "BAE SYSTEMS are recognised as a key supplier of major wing structures to Airbus, both on the single aisle and twin aisle aircraft, and the A380 wing assembly expands their portfolio to the whole range of Airbus products. The development of the A380 has broken new ground in terms of technology development and everybody involved has displayed tremendous ingenuity, innovation and commitment.�

Commenting on this significant achievement for the aviation industry in Scotland, Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire Chief Executive Evelyn McCann said "BAE SYSTEMS is a major employer in Ayrshire, and a key player in Scotland's burgeoning aerospace industry. Scottish Enterprise has recently launched its National Aerospace Strategy, which seeks to attract more high quality, design and build aerospace jobs like those at BAE SYSTEMS to Scotland. In Ayrshire, we have just attracted the first tenant to the Prestwick International Aerospace Park in the shape of Goodrich Corporation. This delivery today demonstrates the confidence of the sector, the good work being done at Aerostructures and highlights the calibre of the workforce we have in Ayrshire.�

The first new double-decker Airbus A380 aircraft is due to undertake its inaugural flight in 2005 and enter airline service in 2006.