Source: Airbus
Source: Airbus
Wing assembly workstations
On Airbus Military���s A400M Final
Assembly Line (FAL) in Seville, Spain,
aircraft numbers MSN8, MSN9 and
MSN7 are shown with finished wings
attached. HPC was invited to tour the
Filton, U.K. plant in which those wings
are assembled.
An overhead view of the A400M wing assembly facility. Assembly begins at one of six jigs
(right) in which wings are oriented vertically for integration of composite leading and trailing
edge spars, aluminum ribs and composite wingskins (see photo below). The wings are
subsequently moved to Pre-Equip 1 (foreground left), where they are oriented horizontally
and installation of fasteners, wiring, fuel pipes and other equipment begins. After Pre-Equip
1, wings move to Pre-Equip 2 (background left) and Final Equip (background right) where
assembly is completed and wings are tested before shipment to Spain.
A400M background
The A400M Atlas is the world���s newest
and most advanced military airlifter,
designed to ferry troops, equipment,
vehicles, supplies, fuel and other materials in support of military operations. Scheduled for delivery in second
quarter 2013, the Atlas is 45.1m/148 ft
long, has a 42.4m/139-ft wingspan,
measures 14.7m/48.25 ft tall and is
powered by four Europrop TP400-D6
turboprop engines, each ���tted with
eight composite propeller blades. It
has a maximum payload of 37,000
kg/81,600 lb, a range of 3,298 km/2,049
miles at maximum payload, a cruising
speed of 780 kph/485 mph and a service ceiling of 11,300m/37,073 ft. As of
October 2012, Airbus Military (Madrid,
Spain) had ���elded 174 orders for this
new heavylifter.
Source: Airbus
Heavy lifters with lifters in place
Beginning with spars and ribs
An Airbus worker inspects a wing, oriented vertically in its fixture for integration of spars, ribs
and skins. Assembly starts with the leading edge spar (with orange covers in this photo),
to which are attached the aluminum wing ribs (green and white). Each wing is drilled to
accommodate the 12,000 fasteners it takes to assemble the spars, ribs and wingskins.
JANUARY 2013
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