Flight International – 11 June 2019

42 | Flight International | 11-17 June 2019 flightglobal.com

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capability has developed sufficiently to
represent in detail how composites behave
during manufacturing, and what effect that
has on a finished component’s properties.
In Dunn’s view, existing composite know-
how is still “relatively immature”, with ample
room for improvement – and simulation is a
means of unlocking that potential. “You need
to understand deposition, resin flow, temper-
ature – there are a lot of variables in the pro-
cess that you need to be able to simulate in
order to both optimise your [component] de-
sign and manufacturing process,” he says.
So what happens when the Wing of Tomor-
row programme has been completed? Dunn
says that from GKN’s point of view it would be
“ideal” if Airbus were to launch a new single-
aisle programme over the next two years.
Although required technologies are not
ready yet, he is confident that GKN will be in
a good place towards the end of the effort to
bid on a new aircraft programme. “If that deci-
sion was pushed five or 10 years down the
line, clearly we need to look at what further
opportunities we will have to refine or im-
prove the technology,” he says.
Airbus has previously said that it does not
foresee the arrival of a clean-sheet single-aisle
aircraft before 2030. Prior to the A320neo’s
launch in 2010, the airframer had suggested
2025 as a potential service entry target. But
the re-engining programme that gave rise to
the Neo has pushed the next generation back.
At the time the re-engine effort was launched,
Airbus indicated that propulsion technology
had not advanced sufficiently to warrant de-
velopment of an all-new aircraft.
A typical eight-year span for development of
a clean-sheet aircraft for service entry around
2030 would place a potential launch near the
end of Wing of Tomorrow’s scheduled duration.
Dunn thinks that increased environmental

pressure could be a catalyst to accelerate a

new product launch, rather than to delay it

further: “Sustainability in aviation will be-

come a stronger theme... and there will be

more pressure to bear on all of us involved in

the aviation industry to do what we can to pro-

vide more efficient light products,” he says.

He notes that as even relatively small

weight savings can generate substantial fuel

efficiencies over an aircraft’s life-cycle, it is in

the interest of manufacturers to make im-

provements that might previously have been

considered too much effort.

BREXIT EFFECT

Then there is the question of Brexit and poten-

tial consequences for Airbus’s wing produc-

tion in the UK. The Wing of Tomorrow pro-

gramme is based in the UK as all of Airbus’s

commercial aircraft wings are assembled in

Broughton; engineering and manufacturing ac-

tivities and A400M wing assembly are located

in Bristol. Partridge stresses, however, that the

Wing of Tomorrow programme is a “transna-

tional” effort, with activities and partners in

France, Germany, Spain and other countries.

She notes: “The knowledge of wings, both

from an engineering and industrial point of

view, here in the UK is extremely relevant to

the programme – that’s why the programme is

being led by the team in the UK.” Airbus has

declined, however, to discuss potential conse-

quences for its UK activities after Brexit, now

scheduled for 31 October. The airframer mere-

ly states that it is looking forward to “further

clarity and the removal of uncertainty as soon

as possible” so that it can “properly plan for

the future”. The company adds: “We continue

to plan for ‘no deal’, as that is the only way

any responsible business can plan.” Measures

include parts stockpiling, co-ordination with

suppliers, and preparations for potential

customs and regulatory changes in order to

mitigate risks “where possible”, Airbus says.

But the manufacturer has repeatedly

voiced its opposition to Brexit and warned

that it would consider its UK presence if the

country were to exit from the EU in a disor-

derly manner. In January, former Airbus chief

executive Tom Enders – he retired in April

and was replaced by Guillaume Faury –

condemned the uncertainty over the UK’s

arrangements as a “disgrace” and stated that

the airframer is “not dependent on the UK”.

Enders praised the UK for having been “at

the forefront of global aviation for over a cen-

tury”, but argued – in view of the then-

planned departure from the EU on 29 March

• that the country’s aerospace industry was on
  a “precipice” that is “threatening to destroy”
  the sector’s legacy. “If there is a no-deal Brex-
  it, we at Airbus will have to make potentially
  very harmful decisions for the UK.
  “Make no mistake – there are plenty of
  countries out there who would love to build
  the wings for Airbus aircraft,” he added.
  Dunn acknowledges that the UK govern-
  ment has “strongly supported” GKN’s tech-
  nology activities and that the company’s prox-
  imity to Airbus’s UK operations creates
  benefits. “We very much want to see that con-
  tinue,” he says. But he points out that GKN
  receives similar support for technology activi-
  ties at its facilities in the Netherlands and
  Sweden. “Our aim would clearly be to be
  globally competitive in all the technologies
  we do,” he adds.
  GKN Aerospace chief executive Hans
  Buthker said in April that technology devel-
  opment is central to securing supply contracts
  on new aircraft programmes. He asserts, how-
  ever, that in order to attract new business,
  GKN additionally needs to be able to establish
  operations close to the customer. “Proximity
  is important,” he says. Noting investment to
  establish facilities in Asia – in addition to
  GKN’s footprint across Europe and in North
  America – he says: “We are able to play the
  game on a global scale... We like to follow our
  customers.” ■

Airbus

Airbus

A400M’s wings are assembled in Bristol

Belugas transport key structures

from the UK around Europe

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