Airbus pressing ahead with UK lightweight wing program

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Airbus is pressing ahead with plans to develop a lighter wing in the UK for the next generation of its best-selling A320 airliners as the group seeks to maintain its lead over US rival Boeing.

The European aircraft maker has invested in a wing technology development center at its vast Filton site near Bristol, where both the Concorde and Bristol Blenheim bombers were built.

The facility, which opened on Tuesday, will be used to manufacture and test wing demonstrators for several programs.

The investment is part of Airbus’ efforts to develop a more fuel-efficient aircraft to replace the best-selling A320 family of single-aisle jets. The company has overtaken Boeing in the single-aisle segment of the market and holds around 60 per cent share.

“It’s all about getting the technology ready for the single-aisle of the future,” said Sue Partridge, head of the Filton site and Wing of Tomorrow programme.

The Airbus Wing Development Program was launched in 2016 to test the latest composite materials and new technologies in aerodynamics.

US rival Boeing is also working on a longer wing for its next generation to replace its 737 aircraft. No company is expected to bring an entirely new aircraft design to market before the middle of the next decade.

Longer, lighter wings make it easier for the aircraft to generate lift without using as much fuel, which helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

A new lightweight wing also needs to be able to be produced at the right cost and at a high manufacturing rate, Partridge said.

Airbus has already built two of the three full-size prototype wings planned: one to understand systems integration and the other, currently at Filton, which will be structurally tested for destruction. The third will be assembled to test industrial capability and scale up production.

The company will also use new manufacturing techniques and increased automation. The experimental wings are not yet a definitive design for the next-generation aircraft, but are allowing the company to test various potential technologies.

The new center adjoins Airbus facilities in the UK, which is home to its wing design and manufacturing. The company has been helped by government funding for research and development. Since 2014 it has been awarded £117mn by the Aerospace Technology Institute for its Wing of Tomorrow programme.

Partridge said ATI has been a huge supporter of ours. , , It gives us stability”.

The government separately announced on Tuesday that £12mn of the £685mn committed to aerospace through ATI over the first three-year period would be used for Airbus’ X-wing project, which is considering how to adapt the wing shape to the flight conditions.