February 26, 2007
EADS has further expanded its North American industrial footprint with the opening of Airbus’ new engineering center in Mobile, Alabama.
Located on Brookley Field adjacent to Mobile Bay, the new facility will perform interior design and definition work for Airbus’ twin-engine A350 XWB, including cabin lighting, galleys, storage areas and lavatories, as well as loading systems for the jetliner’s below-deck cargo holds.
Brookley Field also is the location chosen for assembly and outfitting of the KC-30 Tanker, should the Northrop Grumman led team be selected to modernize the U.S. Air Force’s aerial refueling fleet. EADS North America is a principal subcontractor to Northrop Grumman on the KC-30.
“This leading-edge Airbus engineering center marks the fulfillment of an EADS North America commitment that we made when selecting Brookley Field for the KC-30’s future production,” said Ralph Crosby, EADS North America’s Chairman and CEO. “Mobile is a great place to do business and an even greater place to call home. We are proud and pleased that we can claim both.”
Current employment at Airbus’ Mobile facility is 32, which will grow to more than 80 by the end of 2007. The goal is to increase its staff to 150 engineers, with future expansion possible.
“We appreciate more than words can express the trust that Airbus and EADS continue to show in your Alabama partners,” commented 1st District Congressman Jo Bonner at the engineering center’s formal opening ceremonies today. “We believe that with your continued leadership in the world’s commercial and defense sectors, Brookley Field will be transformed into a center of aerospace excellence.”
In addition to the Airbus Mobile engineering center’s current A350XWB activity, the facility is handling design and development for the new Airbus A330-200F freighter. These work packages include the main deck cargo lining and the aircraft’s passenger/courier seating area, along with the cargo drainage system. The A330-200 is the airframe on which the KC-30 is based, and its new Freighter version has built up a growing order book since being launched by Airbus earlier this year.
The Alabama engineering center builds on the excellent results of Airbus’ initial North American engineering facility in Wichita, Kansas, which opened five years ago with an initial 31 employees and subsequently peaked at a staffing of 200. Wichita began with wing design engineering support for the A380, and its success was followed by design integration work for the updated wing on high gross weight versions of the A340-600/500.
