SAFRAN NACELLES DELIVERS ITS 3,000TH AIRBUS A320NEO NACELLE TO PEGASUS

At the Hamburg integration site, Vincent Caro, Safran Nacelles' CEO was joined by Airbus A320 Family Programme Senior Vice President, Michael Menking, Airbus A320 Family Propulsion System procurement Vice President, Michael Enzinger and Pegasus' Technology Vice President, Kerem Agartan, as well as all employees at Safran Nacelles Hamburg.

Safran Nacelles holds the responsibility for the design, production, integration and after-sales support of the A320neo nacelles powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines, in partnership with Middle River Aerostructure Systems. Safran Nacelles is committed to supporting Airbus on a daily basis in its ramp-ups by focusing on its industrial performance. The company has invested in optimising its production to deliver to the highest quality standards, at the expected rates. To this end, production processes were automated, Lean Six Sigma methodologies were applied, and staff were trained. Safran Nacelles has installed over 20 robots and has developed an automated solution for non-destructive testing using infrared thermography coupled with augmented reality to ensure the quality of its composite material, whilst reducing inspection time by 50%.

The integration of LEAP-1A propulsion systems
The integration of LEAP-1A propulsion systems is a key element in the aircraft manufacturer’s logistics chain. Safran Nacelles takes delivery of the LEAP-1A engines on which the final equipment and the air intake are assembled. At the same time, all nacelle components, i.e. the air intake, engine cowl, thrust reverser and exhaust nozzle, are painted in the airline colours. The nacelles are then assembled empty (without the engine) to ensure that the assembly meets the manufacturer’s specifications.

This activity is carried out close to the A320neo final assembly lines on Safran Nacelles’ integration sites in Toulouse, France, Hamburg, Germany, Mobile, USA and soon in Tianjin, China. Once the propulsion units have been received by Airbus and the airlines, they are delivered to the assembly line where the Safran Nacelles teams provide their support to Airbus to integrate the LEAP-1A engines and the nacelles under the wing of the aircraft.

The best of Safran’s technologies on the nacelles of the A320neo
The nacelle of the A320neo is aerodynamic and lightweight owing to the use of the latest generation composite materials that make up 60% of the nacelle. They contribute to a 20% reduction in the LEAP-1A engine’s fuel consumption and therefore its CO2 emissions compared to the previous generation of CFM56 engines.

It benefits from acoustic treatments that reduce engine noise emissions by 50%. Its thrust reversion system, which is activated every 10 seconds by a pilot somewhere in the world, contributes to the braking of the aircraft and holds a reliability rate of 99.996%.