LEIDEN, Netherlands—Airbus has successfully delivered a first full-size prototype for the next-generation of wing technologies for its passenger jets.
Completion of the first of three fully composite wing demonstrators marks the integration of more than 100 different component and manufacturing technologies that include an all-new assembly system and that have helped validate key automation targets.
“The Wing of Tomorrow project brings a completely different build philosophy to the way we currently assemble wings and is a crucial part of our R&D portfolio that will help us assess the feasibility of wing production in the future,” says Sabine Klauke, Airbus chief technical officer.
An international team of Airbus engineers is developing high-performance wing technologies, including the incorporation of a folding wing tip.
The new build philosophy on Wing of Tomorrow eradicates in-tank working and enables manual and automated assembly to be smoothly integrated into an optimized industrial system.
The composite components are designed to make the best use of technologies and reduce the amount of work during the assembly phase by more than 50 percent. Automation of the remaining drilling, achieving good tolerance control and wing shape, as well as the introduction of new approaches to inspection and validation will support Airbus’ ambition to create the most highly efficient wings of the future.
