Alenia Aeronautica: first 787 fuselage sections delivered | |
Grottaglie, 22 March 2007
Alenia Aeronautica, today delivered the first carbon fibre fuselage sections
of the 787 Dreamliner, manufactured at its Grottaglie plant.
The two fuselage sections, the central one, no. 44 (8,5 metres long) and the
central-rear one, no. 46 (about 10 metres long) have been loaded on the Boeing
Dreamlifter to be transferred to the Charleston, South Carolina, facility of
Global Aeronautica in the United States.
Once integrated at Global Aeronautica, the fuselage sections will be
transferred to Seattle for the final assembly by Boeing of the first prototype
of the innovative 787.
This delivery is the culmination of a process that began in 2004 with Alenia
Aeronautica acting as independent prime partner of the programme. Working as
part of a global team, Alenia Aeronautica has financed, designed, developed and
produced the structural aircraft components on contract, the infrastructure and
the technological processes necessary for their production. The production of a
one-piece, carbon fibre barrel has required innovative technologies and
processes that are being used in the aeronautical field for the first time
ever.
Alenia Aeronautica's newest plant in Grottaglie is fully dedicated to the
production of the 787 fuselage sections and is one of the most advanced
aeronautical facilities in the world. Alenia Aeronautica Foggia plant is also
involved in this production where the horizontal stabiliser is produced,
consisting of two monolithic cocured boxes, 20 meters long and made, just as
the fuselage and wings of the 787, of carbon fibre, with absolutely excellent
design and production technologies. The cocured box of the 787's horizontal
stabiliser produced in Foggia is to date the biggest composite monolithic
structure ever built for a commercial airplane and weighs 540 kg.
Alenia Aeronautica has a substantial role in the production of the 787.
Alenia Aeronautica manufactures the central and rear fuselage sections and the
horizontal stabiliser. Alenia Aeronautica accounts for 14% of the aircraft
structure. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the most successful launch of an
aircraft programme in the commercial aviation history, with 475 orders obtained
to date.
