Premium AEROTEC supplies around 70 percent of all A400M fuselage structures

With the delivery of the first A400M military airlifter to the French Air Force in 2013, Premium AEROTEC is making a significant effort to contribute to the success of this programme. The company is responsible for around 70 percent of the fuselage structures, making it one of the largest suppliers for the A400M. Premium AEROTEC is developing and manufacturing virtually the entire rear fuselage section, the centre fuselage section shells and the upper cargo door made of carbon fibre composites (CFC), as well as the metal pipe systems.

“Whereas we have been delivering components for three aircraft per year up to now, starting in November 2012 we will increase the production rate to one aircraft per month. We are therefore doing our part to ensure the ultimately successful entry into service of the A400M with the customer nations,” said Premium AEROTEC's CEO Kai Horten. “For us, the A400M is an example of real teamwork that places great demands on coordination and logistics and we are proud to contribute to that.”

For each A400M aircraft fuselage, Premium AEROTEC produces around 54,000 individual parts with a total weight of over 12 tonnes. 17,000 assemblies and individual parts are ultimately delivered for each aircraft. The outer skin sections for the respective fuselage sections are manufactured in Nordenham, where the side shells for the centre fuselage section are also assembled. The milled frames for the shells in the centre fuselage section are manufactured in Varel, while those for the shells in the rear fuselage are produced at the Augsburg plant. This plant also supplies the large integrated frames and stringer for the rear fuselage. The mounts for equipment assembly are produced in Bremen for the centre fuselage section and in Augsburg for the rear fuselage. This is also where the upper cargo door made of CFC is produced; this component, measuring seven by four metres, is subject to extreme loads during flight. It is manufactured using the infusionbased Vacuum Assisted Process (VAP®). Here, the multiaxial carbon composite laminates are bonded to create components with complex geometries using an infiltration process.

Premium AEROTEC generated revenues of 1.3 billion euros in 2011. Its core business is the development and manufacturing of metal and carbon composite aerostructures and the associated equipment and production systems. The company has production plants in Augsburg, Bremen, Nordenham and Varel in Germany, and in Braşov (Romania).
Further information can be found at www.premium-aerotec.com.