Northrop Grumman Corporation has finalised a three-year Co-operation and Research Agreement to work closely with Airbus on the Wing of Tomorrow programme.
They will explore complex composite wing stiffener forming automation with out-of-autoclave material systems.
Wendy Williams, general manager (aero-space structures) at Northrop Grumman (
www.northropgrumman.co.uk), said: “This agreement builds on our valuable working relationship with Airbus and its partners.
“We are excited about the advanced composite manufacturing technology being developed to support the Wing of Tomorrow concept, and our team is eager to continue our long-term relationship with Airbus on their future endeavours.”
Northrop Grumman is currently producing composite fuselage stringers and frames for the Airbus A350 XWB -900 and -1000 variants at its ‘state of the art’ facility in Clearfield, Utah.
The company has delivered more than 200,000 Airbus A350 parts.
Its proprietary automated stiffener forming process has been instrumental in the development and manufacture of composite stringers and frames that are extremely high-quality, affordable and dimensionally precise.
This technology will be ‘evolved to’ the new material systems, geometries and processing needs of the future, while maintaining the superior benefits of a highly automated production process.
The Airbus Wing of Tomorrow programme will address the requirement for wings to be made faster and more affordably.
It will explore the best materials, the best manufacturing and assembly techniques, and new technologies in aerodynamics and wing architecture.