Largest Ever Designed And Built By Goodrich

The first of the thrust reverser for the Airbus A350 XWB, which will be installed on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine and be used in the engine ground test program later this year, has been delivered by Goodrich Corporation to the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, England. 

Photo Courtesy Goodrich

Goodrich shipped the thrust reversers on November 5 from its Aerostructures facility in Chula Vista, CA, which was also the site of final assembly. After initial testing in Derby, the reversers will first be sent to a Rolls-Royce ground testing site located at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Airbus awarded Goodrich the contract to be the exclusive provider of the nacelles and thrust reversers for the A350 XWB in 2005. The contract is valued at $6 billion over 20 years, including original equipment and aftermarket revenues.

Several additional Goodrich sites across the U.S. and around the world contribute content to the nacelles and thrust reversers. Design for the entire nacelle system was managed at Goodrich Aerostructures' headquarters in Chula Vista, which will continue to perform final assembly of initial units; Aerostructures' Riverside, CA. facility will produce the fan cowls, inner fixed structure and translating sleeve; and the exhaust systems are being built in Aerostructures' San Marcos, TX, facility. Additionally, Goodrich Actuation Systems business, working in concert with Goodrich Engine Controls and Electrical Power Systems, will deliver actuation systems for the thrust reverser and the power door opening system. In all, Goodrich will deliver four nacelles and thrust reversers for the ground test program, one for the flying test bed and another 10 for the flight test program, plus two spare units. The thrust reverser actuation system will be the first electric one designed and built by Goodrich.

"We went from engineering release to shipping hardware for this innovative nacelle system within 12 months. That's a remarkable achievement and a testament to the entire team that's working on this nacelle system, which is the largest one in Aerostructures' 70-year history," said Tom Donnelly, vice president of Airbus Programs for Goodrich's Aerostructures business. "The shipment also represents how closely we've worked with Airbus and Rolls-Royce on this program. Only by managing the nacelle system in a truly tripartite manner could we have come this far this quickly."

Goodrich will support the A350 XWB engine ground testing which will be conducted at three facilities in the U.S., England and Canada. An Airbus flight test A380 will serve as the flying testbed for the Trent XWB engine, which is capable of delivering up to 84,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.

In addition to nacelles and thrust reversers, Goodrich content on the A350 XWB also includes the wheels and carbon brakes, air data system and ice detection system, external video system and cabin attendant seats.

FMI: www.goodrich.com