84 MARCH 2015 FORUM

Surfing the stratospheric edge of space Surfing the stratospheric Perlan Mission II glider with the Airbus Pages 6-11

the wave Ride Print compensated Id-No. 1545110 www.bvdm-online.de THE POWER OF STORIES

Whenever we tune into the news these days, all too often, stories of terrorism and global uncertainty 20 run rampant across our screens and pages. The beginning of 2015 has demonstrated this so FORUM 84 dramatically. As the editorial team of FORUM magazine, we believe it is time to “stand and fight for values that unite, EDITORIAL INNOVATION rather than divide,” in the words of our CEO Tom Enders earlier this year. Our contribution begins in 2015 by shining a light on our Group’s plethora of CONTENTS assets. With some 130 nationalities, Airbus Group embodies the prosperity that can be achieved by 18-19 FROM APOLLO TO ORION 38 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE embracing multiculturalism and democratic values. NASA’s newest space vehicle Orion will take humans farther into The 2015 Awards for Excellence celebrates the teamwork, Every day, across the globe, Airbus employees space than they’ve ever gone before with technologies light years effort and innovation behind solutions that move the transcend geographical and professional boundaries away from the Apollo programme. company forward and deliver value. to work together on cutting-edge projects. And this is no mean feat. 20-21 BACK TO NATURE 39 FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE Recent developments in design methodology and 3D printing Airbus Group is seeking to achieve balance in its workforce The age-old dream of flight and the pioneering human point to new possibilities for applying bionics to aviation. PEOPLE to ensure it is a diverse, top-performning enterprise. spirit have driven so many women and men to choose FEATURE to work in, or alongside, the aeronautics industry. 22-23 WHEN WORLDS UNITE 40-41 PARTNERING A unique research project combines Airbus Defence and While little is certain in today’s environment, there is 6 TO SHAPE THE FUTURE strength in knowing that Airbus Group is powered by 4-5 IN BRIEF Space’s robotics expertise with deep-sea exploration technology The Airbus Group University Partner Programme, formalised a diverse group of talented individuals with the ability Three months in 10 minutes: a flyover of recent achievements to discover more about the most extreme environments known in November 2014, creates win-win relationships to ensure to ride the tides of change while collectively dreaming across the Group. to man. the engineers of the future are prepared for the challenges ahead. up the future. 6-11 TO THE EDGE OF SPACE 24-25 BRINGING IDEAS BACK TO EARTH Airbus Perlan Mission II aims to shed more light on the Earth’s Airbus Group proves that high-flying technologies can improve In this issue, and those to come, we endeavour to atmosphere, push the boundaries of flight and inspire future fuel efficiency and lessen the environmental impact of future bring you stories that inspire; uplifting stories that generations. automobiles. remind us the value of teamwork, diversity and 42-43 BURGEONING POLSKA imagination. From the exciting Airbus Perlan Mission II FORUM takes a closer look at the Group’s current activities set to push the frontiers of flight, a glimpse at Silicon 12-16 FUTURE FASCINATIONS 26-31 THREE IN ONE FELL SWOOP in Poland and its plans for future growth. Valley’s modus operandi, to reflection on travel in

Discover some of the innovative ideas resulting from the Discover Airbus Helicopter’s recent product upgrades, AROUND 2050, we are sure you won’t cease to be amazed at interdisciplinary Fascinations 2050 project sponsored the EC135 T3/P3 and EC145 T2, alongside its brand- THE GLOBE what talented aerospace professionals are getting by Airbus Group. new model, the EC175. up to these days. We invite you to discover these amazing stories and many others in a celebration of 17 INTO THE VALLEY what can be achieved when we work together. California’s Silicon Valley is a thriving business eco- system and its inhabitants are disrupting areas of the When it comes to media and where you get your economy where no one ever expected to find them. news, we know you have a vast choice at your 44 fingertips. FORUM is the only place where you can find the very best stories of Airbus Group’s past,

MAKING IT FLY present and future under one roof. Your inspiration is 26 our driving force. Happy reading. 32-33 CEO TALKS HERITAGE The FORUM editorial team A GLIMPSE AHEAD PERFORMANCE, OUTLOOK FORUM interviews Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders 12 to find out what impressed him in 2014 and get his thoughts on the year ahead. 44-46 GLAMOROUS ROOTS The opening of Aeroscopia, Toulouse’s new aviation 34-36 SHARPENING THE museum, offers visitors a unique opportunity to learn about COMPETITIVE EDGE the industry’s past and present in the course of a single day. Published by Airbus Group Layout & production: Eduard Schulz Having exceeded its targets in 2014, Airbus sets Corporate Brand, Online and Employee Communications Assistant layouters: MediaServices Germany its sights on further enhancing the company’s 47 CONNECTED We’re listening… FORUM editorial office Photography: Credits only specified competitiveness. Stay up-to-date with Airbus Group happenings by 31703 Blagnac, France for photographs not supplied by connecting to our growing presence online. Dear readers, Airbus Group Director of Publication: Rainer Ohler 37 A COLLECTIVE COMMITMENT Cover: photo illustration by Peter Round The editors of FORUM want to hear from you. What

PERFORMANCE The newly unified Airbus Group Foundation seeks Editor-in-Chief: Jeff Burridge Distribution matters: to support international initiatives and encourage would you like to see more or less of? Have an inspiring Managing Editor: Paige Wilson [email protected] employees to play their part. story you’d like us to tell? Editors: Mariane Pontone, Beata Cece, FORUM is Airbus Group’s internal and external Carolina Martín magazine published with a total circulation Send us your feedback to: [email protected]

IMPRINT of 80,000 print copies worldwide. FORUM is Translation coordination: also available as a PDF online: Magalie Blandin www.airbusgroup.com We’re waiting to hear from you.

IN Three months in 10 minutes: a flyover of recent achievements across the Group. BRIEF Paige Wilson and Cécile Bleys 2015 FIXION - GWLNSOD

Germany takes delivery of its Airbus officially launches the Airbus Helicopters hands over first A400M at the A400M Final A321neo with 97 tonnes The European Space Agency the first deliveries of its new- Assembly Line in Seville, Spain. To maximum take-off weight (MTOW) member governments agree to generation EC175 to operator date, a total of nine A400Ms have and a range of 4,000nm. The CAPA / CyrilCAPA Abad develop a new-generation Ariane NHV for oil and gas missions in been delivered, and the aircraft is in A321neo will have the longest The all-electric E-Fan aircraft the North Sea. “Today is a very service with four nations. Bernhard Airbus Helicopters’ fleet in service From commercial and military 6 rocket and to fund the use of range of any single aisle airliner Doumenjou A. the International Space Station from Airbus Group Innovations special day for all of us. The deli- Gerwert, CEO Airbus Defence and with the oil and gas industry available today and tomorrow, aircraft to helicopters and radars, Airbus Group presents a wide (ISS) through 2017. The space takes centre stage at the Grand very of this first EC175 is indeed Space, says: “We are extremely surpasses the 10 million flight making it ideally suited to transa- Launch customer Qatar Airways range of cutting-edge products station funding includes payments Palais museum in Paris during a key milestone for NHV, for our proud to hand over the first A400M hour milestone, marking a new tlantic routes and allowing airlines makes the first commercial flight and technologies at the 10th needed to build the propulsion the ‘Osons la France’ economic customer community and for our to Germany. The A400M will play achievement in the 50-plus year to tap into new long haul markets with its brand-new A350 XWB on edition of Aero India at the Air Force module for NASA’s Orion deep- summit. The event showcases company,” says Airbus Helicop- a critical role in the modernisation history of heli-lift duties performed not previously accessible with a daily route between Doha and Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru. space crew capsule. innovation and creativity in France. ters President Guillaume Faury. of Germany’s air mobility force.” by its product line. current single aisle aircraft. Frankfurt. 02.12 04>07.12 11.12 19.12 31.12 13.01 16.01 18>22.02

03.12 10.12 18.12 22.12 12.01 14.01 30.01 27.02 Airbus celebrates the 200th A320 The newly formed Airbus In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, one Airbus opens a new chapter in The first 242-tonne maximum Located adjacent to Toulouse- Taking off from Seville, Spain, the Airbus Group releases its 2014 Family aircraft assembled by the Corporate Foundation launches of the world’s leading airlines, wel- aviation with the first delivery of take-off weight (MTOW) variant of Blagnac Airport, the Aeroscopia first of four Airbus Defence and financials at its annual press Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Line at an employee fundraiser to raise comes the first of its ten new Air- the spanking new A350 XWB to the A330 successfully completes Museum officially opens its doors, Space A400Ms ordered by the conference held in Munich, its Tianjin site in China. “The 200th money for the victims of Ebola & bus A380 aircraft. Etihad Airways launch customer Qatar Airways. its maiden flight, landing back inviting visitors to explore aviation Royal Malaysian Air Force makes Germany. Airbus A320 Family aircraft assem- the millions of displaced people in is the thirteenth airline to operate The airline has ordered 80 of the at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport history and appreciate Airbus’ its successful maiden flight, bled in Tianjin marks an important Syria and Iraq. the A380, and the aircraft is the world’s most advanced airliner. following a 3.5 hour flight. current production activities. marking a key milestone towards milestone of Airbus’ partnership 150th A380 delivered by Airbus. delivery. with China,” says Airbus China Pre- sident and CEO, Eric Chen. P. PigeyreP. Ibrahim Malla / IFRC MascletP. Doumenjou A. H. Goussé

IN BRIEF iStock P. PigeyreP.

4 5 TO THE EDGE THE TO OF SPACE OF winterstratosphere. polar glider plane aspires to climb: the uncharted nacreous clouds that appear just where this for ‘pearl,’ was chosen for the pearlescent generations. Its moniker, the Icelandic word the boundaries of flightand inspirefuture more light on Earth’s atmosphere, push AirbusThe Perlan Mission II aims to shed

7 FEATURE in a plane crash over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the project slowed to a crawl. Airbus Group’s sponsorship of the Perlan Project last July gave the mission a needed boost of support for the completion of a new, custom-built sailplane, flight testing and altitude flights. “Enevoldson had this idea in 1992,” says Perlan II board member Stéphane Fymat. “It’s now 23 years later, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. This is truly a story of pursuing one’s vision.”

Riding the wave

In the 1990s, it was still believed that all weather stopped at the stratosphere. Once Enevoldson began collecting evidence of stratospheric mountain waves, as they came to be known, he theorised he could explore the phenomenon with a glider plane. In 1998, NASA brought meteorologist Dr. Elizabeth Austin onboard as Chief Scientist for the project. Austin expanded upon Enevoldson’s findings, proving that the polar vortex and its stratospheric polar night jet (a faster, higher- altitude version of the jet stream we’re familiar with) were the principal factors in creating these waves that could reach up to 130,000 ft (39.6 km) into the middle stratosphere. To first understand a mountain wave, picture a river flowing over a rock and waves forming behind that rock. “Strong hen Einar Enevoldson first saw a depiction of enor- Russian fighters shot up in parabolic trajectories just to see winds crossing a mountain range obey the same principles mous, stratospheric waves of air, his initial thought how high they could go, but in terms of holding station in of fluid dynamics, getting pushed up into waves behind the Wwas that it shouldn’t be possible. His next thought level flight, the Perlan II aims to be the first at 90,000 ft. mountains,” Austin explains. Mountain waves, generated by was: I’m going to soar in that. Enevoldson is a glider pilot and At such a high altitude, the extremely thin air and low a weather front moving through, often crest at the tropo- former NASA test pilot, which make him the aerial temperatures are similar to the environment that would be pause, the boundary between the troposphere (where we equivalent of a big-wave surfer, towing out into thrilling encountered flying on Mars. live) and the stratosphere, because the winds at this border conditions to push his sport to its limits. But it’s not as easy The current altitude record for a highflying, unpowered are calm and the temperature increases slightly. When the to draw an earthly comparison to what Enevoldson and manned aircraft – 50,720 ft (15.5 km) – was set during the polar vortex is active during the winter, however, it creates his Airbus Perlan Mission II team plan to do in 2016: reach original Perlan mission in 2006 by Enevoldson and his co- more energy in the air mass over the mountains, and its 90,000 ft (27.4 km) in a plane with no engine – taking gliding pilot, then-investor and entrepreneur Steve Fossett. The high polar night jet can align with the lower-level jet stream, to the edge of space. team used an off-the-shelf flyer that was heavily modified to blasting the mountain waves up through the tropopause and The Airbus Perlan II Mission is a boundary-pushing endeav- make its first flight. During some five years of trial and error, carrying them – and any enterprising glider plane in their our in its design, ambitions and methodology. This pur- they learned where and when optimal weather conditions current – higher into the stratosphere. pose-built glider will fly in a near vacuum with air density would merge to enable their ascent into the stratosphere. “Realistically, the number of days in which all of these less than 2% of that at sea level, using a pressurized cabin They also broke the world record, only prevented from weather patterns align to create excellent conditions are a – up until now unnecessary in the sport – along with the life- going higher by the expansion of the pilots’ pressure suits handful – three or four in a three-month testing period,” says support systems of a spaceship. It has a modular bay at the unprecedented altitude. Then in 2007, Fossett died Austin. Because it’s easier to forecast the movements and for scientific instrumentation, which will collect data from uncharted levels of the Earth’s atmosphere. And to reach their altitude goal, the Perlan II team aims to exploit a unique combination of weather phenomena that, when aligned, can send its pilots straight up on an elevator through the stratosphere.

A history of aiming high

Early 2014, Enevoldson introduced his ambitions to Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders, asking him if his company would like to join in on the expedition. Enders, a glider pilot himself, immediately understood the significance of such a project and seized the opportunity. In July 2014 at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh convention in Wisonsin, Airbus Group announced that it would become the partner and title sponsor of Perlan Mission II. “Our company is built on the shoulders of aviation pioneers who pushed boundaries in their own times. When we learned of the Perlan Project and its quest to soar to Center and top left: Perlan I took record heights, we knew we needed to find a way to be part off from Argentina in 2006 and of it,” says Enders of the newly formed partnership. broke the glider altitude record Other than the SR71 Blackbird spy plane, nothing has flown Right (from left to right): Einar above 85,000 ft (25.9 km) in sustained flight. Years ago, Enevoldson and Airbus Group FEATURE CTO Jean Botti at Oshkosh 2014 8 after sponsorship announcement 9 Crew: 2 FACES OF PERLAN Cabin pressure: 8.5 psi WORLD RECORD GOAL Empty weight: 573 kg Board member Gross weight: 816 kg Stéphane Fymat has 25 years Wing span: 25.6 m of experience in the aerospace Wing area: 24.3 m2 and computer industries and Aspect ratio: 27 is a private pilot. In addition to Length: 10.0 m being a member of the Perlan Project Board of Directors, 90,000 Fymat is the founder and SET A NEW WING-BORNE ALTITUDE WORLD RECORD CEO of Smartplane, Inc. www.smartplane.aero

Founder, pilot, 85,069 chairman of the board BREAK THE 1976 SR-71 BLACKBIRD ALTITUDE RECORD Einar Enevoldson is a lifelong glider pilot, former USAF jet fighter pilot and exchange officer with the Royal Air Force. From 1968 to 1986, Enevoldson was a NASA research pilot; he 25.6 m was twice awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He envisioned the Perlan Project 72,000 in 1992 when he first saw BREAK THE USAF LOCKEED U2 ALTITUDE RECORD an image of a stratospheric mountain wave at 75,000 feet.

Chief Meteorologist Dr. Elizabeth Austin is a world-renowned atmospher- ic physicist and the founder 50,671 and president of Weather- BREAK PERLAN 1 CURRENT GLIDER ALTITUDE RECORD Extreme Ltd. She is one of the foremost experts on the worldwide impact of weath- Altitudes in feet er and extreme weather. www.weatherextreme.com

10.0 m

changes in the Southern Hemisphere’s polar vortex, which test will also be done, measuring the propensity of the glider she hopes to gain “a better understanding of the role of it slowed down, a lot of people were left wanting. Now, is also stronger and more uniform than in the north, the to flutter – an amplified risk of flying at high speeds at high the polar vortex, the ozone hole and the interactions, both they’re the ones getting involved in innovative aerospace team chose El Calafate, Argentina, in the Andes Mountains, altitudes – and a 5G wing load test, which employs sand- meteorological and chemical, between the troposphere endeavours like ours.” Enders agrees. “Partnering with the as the staging location for the Perlan Project. The glider bags to determine if the wings can withstand this force. and the stratosphere.” The collected data could reveal Perlan team on this project is consistent with our core val- will be towed for an hour into the Andes, and positioned Upon passing these tests, the Perlan II will be fitted with new insights into the impact of human activity on climate ues of furthering innovation in aerospace and inspiring a new to ride stratospheric mountain waves up from behind the instrumentation for high-altitude flight and taken to the Lake change and the atmosphere. generation of designers, manufacturers and aviators.” range. “We’re going to make the best of every day that we Tahoe area, a Mecca for gliders in America. Through the Enevoldson adds that another success for the project “We’re also going to have multiple masters’ and PhD have down there,” Austin says, “but everything has to work winter and spring, high-altitude testing will take place in the would be to open up a new facet of the sport of gliding by students writing their meteorological, aviation and aero- together.” range of 20–30,000 ft (6-9 km) to try out the life support sys- engaging more pilots in flying up to 70,000 ft (21.3 km) and in nautical engineering theses on this project,” Austin adds. tems and open up the aircraft’s flight envelope. performing exploratory flights. In terms of its precedent- “The Perlan Mission won’t evaporate. Its longevity is Running the gauntlet Fymat imagines a best-case scenario in which the team, setting, says Fymat, “the Perlan II may be like the first person extended thanks to their research of those shaping aero- during the early weeks of the Argentina flight ops, correctly to break the four-minute mile.” space’s future.” Before Perlan II arrives in Argentina next year, in time for predicts and exploits the days when the wave phenom- Jess Holl winter in the Southern Hemisphere, there is construction enon is working. “We’ll first set a record higher than the Looking ahead and testing to be done in its home base of Nevada, USA. current one,” he guesses. “Shortly thereafter, we’re able to Perlan Project Inc. is a not-for-profit aeronautical exploration The glider is on track to be completed by July 2015, and get all the way up to 90,000 ft while it’s still relatively early “A major aspect of the Airbus Perlan Mission II is to inspire and atmospheric science research organization that the team will then do low-altitude flight testing through in the season. Then we’d have the luxury of performing young people to go into STEM subjects because they see utilizes gliders designed to fly at extremely high altitudes September, assessing how the glider flies, checking its more flights up to those high altitudes to do more science.” that you can do cool stuff with it,” Fymat says. “The heyday www.perlanproject.org

controls, basic systems and responsiveness. A vibration From the experiments that will run onboard, Austin says of the US space programme was so inspiring, and when FEATURE

10 11 12 FUTURE FASCINATIONS Marc Stephens

es hn or or fo do t do. fr r fo tdys congested resulting today’s ideas innovative from the from cry the of interdisciplinary Fascinations 2050 project one sponsored far by Airbus Group. just A is door. cityport to the door airports, out-of-town from hours take four will than Budapest in central less to checking journey Their home, way. the their ‘cityport’ on from security this clearing directly and at transport arrived public passengers autonomous fully Its runway.by short a down accelerates the roofOn of the Paris GareNorddu train station, impressively an quiet aircraft IT’S 2050. rail infrastructure beused Could existingcitycentre to buildmodularairport systems inthefuture?

13 A GLIMPSE AHEAD THE HEARTBEAT PASSPORT

Your heartbeat is as unique as your finger- prints or retina pattern. It’s also a way of checking you through airport security quickly and efficiently. A wearable identification de- vice that monitors your heartbeat could con- firm your identity automatically as you move, say, from a mobile terminal onto an aircraft, creating a rapid security path from home to flight. The Nova personal authentication de- vice, a Fascinations 2050 concept, encap- sulates this functionality, enabling a service provider to know where you are on the arc of your journey at any given time.

Fascinations 2050 students at Airbus in Toulouse with Kevin Keniston (front center) and Dr. Kay Plötner (third row on the right)

ne definition of intermodality could be ‘a concept bound. Instead, we favoured a multi-disciplinary approach Plötner notes. “The students possess quite astonishing which has been around for centuries but has yet to in the hope it would help to set in motion incremental steps skills, not least the ability to sketch an idea in minutes.” Obe successfully adopted’. Over the last two years, towards an integrated future.” The proposals contain a multitude of innovations that researchers at Munich-based aviation think-thank Bauhaus merit further technical exploration, regardless of whether Luftfahrt (BHL) and design students at the Glasgow School Unconstrained thinking the actual concepts become reality one day. Data access of Art and the Technical University of Munich have sought Pointedly, the students were not aviation specialists but and sharing for example was an identified enabler that is to address that failure of imagination. As Fascinations 2050 passengers with no illusions about the shortcomings of already a big focus for Airbus in the short term. Another area of participants, their assignment was to rethink future air trav- air travel in 2015. They defined 15 proposals which were interest is collaboration between transportation manufactur- el as just one part of an integrated transportation system. gradually whittled down to four final concepts (see ers to shorten travel times. By the time it closed in September 2014, their two-year pages 15-16 for more information). Autonomous vehicles fig- Fascinations 2050 has created a direction of travel. “We exploration had demonstrated that seamless mass transit is ure in each: in 2050, they form the backbone of personal mo- stood on the shoulders of those with no direct stake in not a flight of fancy – much of the infrastructure needed to bility and inner city transit. “It’s not a question of when vehicle the industry to better see the future,” Keniston says. “The make it happen already exists. autonomy will arrive, but just how autonomous those vehi- students’ findings came with a carte blanche. While the best The students unleashed their imagination with cles are and how they support an integrated system,” says ideas piggy-back existing infrastructure, their creators were mentoring from Airbus Group Innovations and an Dr. Kay Plötner, BHL’s Fascinations 2050 project manager. untroubled by the finer details of making them happen.” That advisory board including Siemens Logistics and Airport “We focused on how they translate into transporting people is the engineer’s concern. But let there be no doubt: the Solutions, the Institute for Mobility Research (BMW to airports.” aviation industry has much to gain from a multidisciplinary Group), Bombardier Transportation and Daimler. The final concepts painted a picture of the future which provid- approach to the multimodal future. “Fascinations was a completely open platform where all ed independent validation of research & technology streams In Budapest our cityport passengers have arrived early, in ideas were welcome,” explains Kevin Keniston, head of already under study at Airbus. “Fascinations 2050 was a re- time to enjoy a National Gallery retrospective on transport passenger comfort at Airbus and the company’s project freshing exercise in speed and unbridled creativity accentuat- in the early 21st century. It looks like the dim, distant and sponsor. “Clearly we can’t leap forward to 2050 in one ed by the healthy competition between the two universities,” disjointed past. A GLIMPSE AHEAD GLIMPSE A

14 15 16 DECONSTRUCTION AIRPORT e. So farduringits construction,onlyasingle trainhasrunlate. station. railway major a atop built being whereis skyscraper a City,York New in sorts of precedent a has already idea The aircraft. their of securi- foot the checked-in, to practically deliver passengers ty-cleared to infrastructure rail use would which terminals, mobile with seamlessly works concept The passenger, it’dbeamuchmore agreeable experience. greenfielda of cost the the of for fraction And a site.” at built says. “The airport in the city concept could in all likelihood be Keniston Kevin second,” a for it about think but audacious environment.operating “It’sproductstheir and not if nothing its rethinking completely means it if even stakeholders, of ty communi- wider a of part as situation that remedy to duty a future air travel, the biggest constraint is capacity. Airbus has for challenge at considerable look you way Whichever feasible. is a it but manufacturers, is machine a such Building suited toshortenedinner-city rooftop runways. design jet re-imagine to possible is it issues noise and sions build to was train stations for example. cities, By addressing major performance, emis- concept within hubs transit existing of 2050 top on runways Fascinations radical One Skyscraping four-hourdoor-to-door transport. which satisfied the headline objective of reached adetailed concept definition close of Fascinations 2050, each had terminal’ and ‘airport in the city.’ At the rendering of the future: ‘moving stand outparticularly for their pragmatic theOf four finalists,two projects

and decentralisationofairportprocesses. outsourcing of shape the in efficiency greater and dictability pre- flow more is there operators, airport For convenience. greater and gains time brings it passengers, For checking. from seamless, is terminal security and handling baggage dropsmart offto via up pick moving the for word key The in amovingterminalatpeaktimes. dock can cabs smart 25 to Up land. and off take to aircraft for space a than more no is case this in ‘airport’ The flight. route en their to straight passengers takes terminal moving out the while carried are screening security and in Check infrastructure. tram or rail use could that terminal moving a home with a pick-up by autonomous cab, which docks with at begins that idea an It’s model. airport the deconstructs concept terminal’ ‘moving Fascinations’ mind, in that With Small process. airports are popularforareason. they numbers passenger the with deal to appropriately sized rarely are operations as scale, of born is today frustration passenger Much Keniston. Airbus’ says hubs,” out-of-town moremassive needs world the that idea integrated airports is an needed. “The Fascinations that, students challenged the do Toapproachthroughreducedand at to looks times that transit sooner. any destination your reach not might you but faster fly that planes Youbuild can Terminal velocity

INTO THE VALLEY THE INTO by European rivals. attempted anything than advanced more is launcher a land re- to bid audacious their and ISS the supply to shuttles its retirementof the after NASA by used companies two the of launcher business? Despite the odds, Space X became one the of giants established the with compete possibly PayPal through money his made had who background from software CEO a a and space in experience no with company a could How success. of chance any it gave people few ago, years 12 new was company the when that it noting worth start-up, is a be to considered longer no is SpaceX While spawned bySiliconValley. being start-ups ambitious the of typical approach is that an business to of features distinctive the of one is success to path the of part integral an as failure of recognition This Close, butnocigarthistime.Bodeswellforthefuture.” hard. landed but ship, spaceport drone to response: it made this “Rocket tweeted Musk, Elon executive, chief and er Airbus Group’sAirbus for priorities 2015: setting innovation up an centre venture and in fund the area. economy where no oneever expected to find one driving them. is Thisof clearly phenomenon Valley is now athriving business eco-system its and inhabitants are disrupting areas of the theOnce exclusive domain of programming micro-chip and geeks developers, California’s Silicon Hélène Huby T © abluecup / iStock a Falcon 9 launcher after it delivered its cargo to the the to International cargo Space Station (ISS). its The company’s delivered re-land found- it to after launcher attempt 9 Falcon an a in failed SpaceX January, his i hpn t etr ibs Group’s Airbus enter to hoping him regularly,like more and morearethere area the in works who Huby, Hélène ac- and, cording to Airbus Defence and Space’s background Valley Silicon his the from stemmed business to launcher approach disruptive Musk’s Pioneering spirit Silicon in Group Airbus slang, Valley? It’s American anobrainer. of bit a use To could achieve?” we what knows who pioneering, for passion engineers’ our some of that entrepreneurial spirit back and use it to unleash of presence established more Airbus Group in a the area would be beneficial. that “If we can bring convinced is Huby eco-system forinnovation.” fantastic a creates universities and entrepreneurs great ital, cap- venture of combination the Valley– Silicon in is that of half and USA the in is it of thirds two globally technologies new in invested money the all “Of talents: world-class and pockets, in deep with investors experience start-ups, successful creating of Silicon concentration of geographical success the the is for Valley reason one that believes She would acceleratetheGroup’s adoptionof them.” tive power of technological and business breakthroughs and disrup- the grasp economy.to easier it makes logistics Valley Silicon in Being and transport the revolutionise could more and data big intelligence, artificial printing, 3D drones, being is approach applied to many other relevant business areas. similar “Commercial a that explain to on goes Huby or improving performancebyafactorof10or100.” costs reducing while people billion a over impact could that concept scalable a on model business their base often ists, venture capital- by financed companies, new “These vation. time Earth imagery,” explains Huby, head of transversal inno- growing global need for greater connectivity and almost real the serving satellites’ commoditised ‘low-cost of generation core businesses. “The low earth orbit could soon host a new Ed Parkinson andMarcStephens

17 A GLIMPSE AHEAD he Apollo astronauts had already seen the film2001: A MARS Space Odyssey when they left for the Moon in 1968. mission planned FROM T“The crew of Apollo 8, who at Christmas, became the for the first men ever to set eyes upon the lunar farside, told me that 2030s they had been tempted to radio back the discovery of a large black monolith: alas, discretion prevailed,” science fiction MOON TO writer Arthur C. Clarke later wrote. orbit Almost half a century later, while astronauts’ sense of humour test may not have changed much, the technology has come a mission in 2018 APOLL long way. Apollo 8 crew members – Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders – became the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit; the first to see our planet as a blue dot and the first to witness ‘Earthrise’. They survived a mission RION whose chances of success were probably fifty-fifty. Bigger and safer Crew Module A new era In terms of volume, Orion is twice as big as Apollo in order DESTINATION to ensure longer missions, yet it’s significantly lighter. Orion is NASA’s newest space vehicle, Orion, opens a new era of built with an aluminum-lithium alloy which weighs less than human space exploration. The spacecraft is built to carry the aluminum available during the Apollo era. MARS humans to the Moon by 2021 and to destinations never before Located directly below the Orion crew module, the service visited by astronauts, including an asteroid by 2025 and Mars module will be the powerhouse that fuels and propels the in the 2030s. And for the first time, NASA has allowed a Orion spacecraft into space. It will provide power, propulsion, partner outside the United States to provide a system-critical thermal control, water and air for the astronauts inside the element for a US-manned vehicle: the European Service habitable module. “We will generate and provide all the power Crew Module Adapter Module (ESM). Orion needs, as the Apollo service module did. But the power At first glance, one may think that NASA’s Orion spacecraft will come from sunlight, with solar array wings, whereas on Water, is almost identical to that used by Apollo astronauts, but this Apollo they relied on fuel cells,” Gronowski explains. The solar gas and fuel tanks is not the case. Neither the capsule, designed by Lockheed panels work on long duration missions, so no need to worry Martin, nor the ESM, contracted by ESA to Airbus Defence about refilling fuel cell systems while traveling through space. and Space. “If you look at the functions of the service modules “This is the safest spacecraft ever built,” says Gronowski. of Apollo and Orion, they are more or less the same, but their Lessons learned from the Apollo and shuttle programmes have technologies are light years apart,” says Matthias Gronowski, been incorporated into Orion’s design. “NASA, together with NASA’s newest space vehicle, Chief Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space. our partner Lockheed Martin, has analysed all of the Apollo Orion, will take humans farther missions. Drawing on their experience with the International into space than they’ve ever gone Space Station (ISS), they know by heart what life support systems need to look like, which areas need redundancy before with technologies light years and which areas can rely on individual and single equipment,” Attitude away from the Apollo programme. says Oliver Juckenhöfel, Head of the Orion Service Module Control SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS) Thruster Airbus Defence and Space has been Programme. The European Service Module is based on Europe’s Automated contracted by the European Space NASA is dev­eloping a ­special Transfer Vehicles (ATV), the cargo vessels that have delivered Solar panels Agency (ESA) to design and build the ­launcher to transport tonnes of essential supplies and scientific experiments to the unfolded the manned Orion ISS. The prime contractor for the ATV is also Airbus Defence EUROPEAN SERVICE service module. capsule into space. MODULE (ESM) and Space. “The detailed requirements for a mission to the Moon are completely different than for travel only to the ISS in low Earth orbit. So we have to change the design of the ATV by integrating, for example, one large main engine providing enough power to go to the Moon and back,” says Juckenhöfel. “For the time being, we will use refurbished engines from the shuttle programme.” THRUSTERS DIMENSIONS CAPABILITIES Launch Abort System (LAS) Earth to Mars: 70,000,000 miles

4.1 m By 2017, Exploration Mission-1 will launch an unmanned Spacecraft propulsion Orion spacecraft to test the system. It will be followed by Exploration Mission-2, which is expected to launch four Consumable storage Crew 4 m Module NASA’s astronauts inside Orion to a captured asteroid in lunar orbit (water and air) Auxiliary (CM) Space as soon as 2021. “At first glance, it may seem like a repeat of Thrusters Launch Crew ­System Apollo, but when you look closer, it’s clearly a step beyond. Electrical power supply Module (SLS) Orion will take mankind a step further – eventually, to Mars Adaptor (CMA) and back!” says Jan-Henrik Horstmann, Head of ESM Project 19 m Thermal control Operations. Main European Thruster Service Manuel Ansede Module INNOVATION © somchaisom / iStock / Illustration: KircherBurkhardt Infografik (ESM)

18 19 BACK TO

The solid honeycomb structure on the underside of a Danish water lilly enables it to support the weight NATURE of a small child.

Aviation pioneer Louis Blériot based his RadscheitMarkus early, failed prototypes on the flapping of birds’ wings before eventually finding Channel-crossing fame in a more conventional airframe. However, recent developments in design methodology and 3D printing championed by Airbus Group and its partner universities in the ‘Bionics Network’ suggest that Blériot might have been looking in the right place for ideas after all.

esigns inspired by flora and fauna are nothing new. Finding the answers access to the same advantages through a cheaper and from some manufacturers. However, as 3D printing grows The wing of the legendary Spitfire fighter plane ap- maintenance-free torsion spring. fast and replaces milling and cutting, I think biometrics will Dparently stemmed from seagulls circling cliffs on the In the case of the water lilies, the key to success lay in com- Airbus’ partners are also scouring nature for solutions to become increasingly important.” south coast of England. However, the idea of examining bining two technologies that are still developing. “Working icing, the optimisation of air inlets, stronger wing fuselage His optimism is supported by Professor Antonia Kesel of the the natural world so closely that it is possible to utilise the with wing high lift experts and quality experts we used very joints and an adaptive trailing edge that would end the need University of Applied Sciences in Bremen who is part of a mechanics and structures that have evolved over millions of advanced scanners on the huge leaves and found that they for wing flaps. team of 20 academics and 120 students working in the field years is new, and it forms the basis for the science known as contained something similar to the honeycomb structure we of biomimetics: “My students from the International Study bionics or biomimetics. This is precisely why Airbus created use to maximise strength while minimising weight in aircraft New horizons Programme in Biomimetics, which we believe is the world’s a Bionics Network connecting 3D printing experts in all of parts,” continues Sander. “However, the structure was less first, have explored topics such as anti-freezing surfaces, the Group’s Divisions to academic institutions at the forefront regular and the larger gaps meant that if we could use the Bionics Network universities have carried out a great deal of lightweight structures, pivot bins and aerodynamics. None of research in the bionics field. Together, they are pushing right materials we’d have a new weight saving design.” The the detailed research involved in the new aviation-applicable of our ideas have been industrialised for the aviation industry bionics forward and industrialising the new possibilities it first prototype structures were created in plastic using 3D ideas that have been generated so far. When its represent- yet but some have been applied to ships. Interest in the area yields to meet the needs of aviation. printers, and metal parts soon followed. atives spoke to FORUM, it was clear that they believe the is huge – we have 30 places available each year and get 500 Not every aspect of bionics involves microscopic study. progress in bionics to date is only the start. applicants. I’m not surprised because this area has so much “It isn’t as simple as copying nature,” explains Peter Sander Sometimes naturally occurring mechanics can provide ex- Professor Claus Emmelmann of the Technical University potential. There seems to be no limit to the solutions that of Emerging Technologies and Concepts at Airbus. “If it cellent solutions too. “We asked our academic partners to in Hamburg and Laser Centrum Nord has been work- nature holds. Finding them isn’t always easy though and you had been the case, we would all have been doing it for find a solution that would improve luggage bins,” remem- ing on 3D printing for the aviation industry for eight years learn some hard lessons when your efforts are defeated by years.” Successful bionics depends on establishing a deep bers Sander. “We wanted to improve life for our custom- and thinks that the pace of change is about to accelerate a mushroom!” understanding of natural materials and then working ers and their passengers by offering greater capacity and sharply: “There is already a bionic cabin bracket on the Sander is also convinced that biomimetics will become out how to apply that knowledge in the industrial world. easier access without taking up much more cabin space.” A350 XWB and our capacity to use metal powders of high increasingly influential. “We’ve just started and only a few “Everyone knew that giant Danish water lilies were There was a solution available using retractable pivot bins quality and strength is increasing. The design methodology is thousand species have been examined. There are 20 million incredibly strong for something so thin – after all, they can but they needed pneumatic springs which are expensive becoming established and now we’re in a position to to look at,” he says. “The combination of rapidly improving support the weight of a child,” says Sander. “The questions and require maintenance. So universities in the Bionics increase the speed and reduce the cost of production. I think 3D printing with nature’s secrets is bound to open up new were: what makes them so strong and how can we use Network explored. Their solution, based on the jaws of we could witness 1000% improvement in our field over the industrial horizons.”

that structure?” the angler fish, moray eel and sling-jaw wrasse, allows next decade. Any new industrial approach faces reluctance Ed Parkinson INNOVATION

20 21 initiated by the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest scientific research organisation, uniting 15 institutions all DEEP-SEA over the country, as well as Airbus Defence and Space as the sole industry representative. Its aim is to work GLIDER WHEN together to develop technologies to improve exploration of extreme environments such as deep sea, the moon A completely new construction led by the University of Bremen’s and other celestial bodies. Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM). The goal Wilde, who is coordinating Airbus’ involvement, spe- is to determine whether gliders can be used as a platform for cialises in autonomous robotics for space missions, bathymetric and electromagnetic soundings of the seafloor as well “the brain of a spacecraft,” as he puts it. “It turns out as for new water column investigations. Airbus Defence and Space that the control systems we use in our regular work for will provide expertise reliable autonomous flight control systems in- W RLDS navigation, data transfer, power charging and failure cluding avionics and software. O management are also relevant for deep sea exploration,” he says. “Most underwater systems operate via a tether to provide power and data transfer, but this restricts how far they can go. When you start thinking about cutting UNITE A unique research this ‘lifeline’ and operating autonomously then you’re DEEP-SEA faced with similar challenges to space exploration.” project is combining While ROBEX is developing a variety of exploratory CRAWLER Airbus Defence and vehicles and associated technologies, Airbus Defence and Space is involved in two projects: a deep-sea glider The ROBEX team aims to develop various autonomous Space’s robotics and several deep-sea crawlers. Leading production of caterpillar-driven crawlers based on the existing WALLY concept the TRAMPER crawler is the Alfred Wegener Institute’s from Jacobs University in Bremen. Besides the AWI TRAMPER expertise with deep-sea (AWI) Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, concept, the VIATOR concept from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Cen- exploration technology. which coordinates Germany’s polar research efforts. tre for Ocean Research in Kiel plans to integrate a base station to “We’re normally restricted to just one research trip a year, allow the crawler to recharge and transmit data. Airbus Defence Its goal: to discover which only gives you a very short snapshot of what’s go- and Space is providing robotic control software as well as a navi- more about the most ing on at the ocean floor in the Arctic,” explains AWI’s gation system for its return to the base station. Dr. Frank Wenzhoefer. “We want to develop underwater extreme environments platforms that we can leave there to work autonomously for an entire year.” known to man. After just a few months of cooperation, Wenzhoefer is more than happy with how things have gone. “We’ve already learnt a great deal. It’s exciting to see how the space team works and jointly adapts their technology for our applications.” In November, the crawler successfully performed its first underwater tests at a facility in Bremen. It’s precisely this sort of rapid pro- gress that has impressed Detlef Wilde. “Creating space systems is a lengthy and expensive process, so exper- imentation isn’t always feasible. Deep-sea exploration takes a more pragmatic approach. Of course, it’s easier

to take a ship out, test something and if it doesn’t work, Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Lars Grübner then you bring it back and fix it. But we’re here to learn, too. We look forward to learning ways to integrate more of this pragmatism into our everyday space work.” AWI hopes to take its finished crawler to the deep sea this summer and to the Arctic in 2016, where it will be left to work for a year at the seafloor. “Because of the Testing the sea ice conditions, we always go there in summer, so we crawlers have no idea what happens in winter,” says Wenzhoefer. and deep- In addition to TRAMPER, two other crawlers are also sea lander under development as part of ROBEX and will benefit at DFKI in Bremen o a space engineer, six kilometres may not seem and System Engineering Services at Airbus Defence and from Airbus’ technological expertise. These crawlers will that far. But when those six kilometres are down Space in Bremen. “But the more we’ve become involved, collect and analyse soil samples, measure different Trather than up, beneath bitterly cold Arctic waters and the more synergies we’ve discovered. It’s been a positive gases and seismic changes, as well as begin to map out tonnes of ice, things start to take on a different perspec- discovery.” parts of the planet that until now have remained shroud- tive. “At first glance, you’d probably think space and deep- Since September 2014, Wilde and a small group of ed in darkness. “It’s already been very interesting to sea exploration are pretty far removed from each other, and colleagues have been part of the Robotic Exploration apply our experience to another field,” says Wilde, “but For more information on ROBEX, check out: initially I wasn’t totally sure how much overlap there would of Extreme Environments (ROBEX), the world’s first joint to use it to explore what is essentially another world – http://www.robex-allianz.de/en/ be,” explains Detlef Wilde, Head of Space Robotics Projects space and deep-sea research project. ROBEX was that’s absolutely fascinating.”

Geoff Poulton INNOVATION

22 23 “At Airbus Group our slogan is ‘we make it fly,’ but my mission toward the company’s ‘e-aircraft’ vision for a fully electric, is to bring technology back to earth and make it work,” CO2-free passenger airliner that could accommodate up to says Wulf Hoeflich, the Head of Airbus Group Technology 90 passengers. Higher-capacity batteries and many other Licensing, who has just returned from a trip to Canada and technological challenges involved in this effort can be shared the USA where he met with leading automotive companies in with the car industry. the region to present the Technology Transfer Framework offer. Airbus Group has more than 30 technology licensing BRINGING IDEAS “The automotive industry is searching for technology that agreements currently in place for a wide range of applications, can make vehicles more fuel-efficient, improve production from consumer electronics to safety-critical data networks for processes and bring products to market faster,” explains aircraft and renewable energy windmills. “Around 50 percent Hoeflich. “One of the main goals is reducing the weight of all wind turbines use our Vacuum Assisted Process (VAP®) of vehicles, and this is where Airbus Group can provide composite manufacturing technology,” Hoeflich notes. In value,” he adds. The Group has the right technology to every case, Airbus Group Technology licensing is ready for BACK TO EARTH help auto manufacturers develop lighter, faster and more close working relationships – which can extend over a multi- eco-efficient vehicles, including new advanced composite year period – with its partners. “This is not about exchanging n November 2014, Airbus Group signed an agreement materials and higher-voltage connectors that can support the paper, but delivering the whole solution from A to Z with with the Italian luxury car firm Maserati, giving it access new-generation of more electric cars. strong interactions between our experts and the customer,” Sports cars and jet Ito the Group’s wide range of patented-technologies that Holographic displays used by airplane and helicopter pilots says Hoeflich. aircraft share a common could potentially be used to make even faster, lighter and also are being evaluated for licensed applications in the Sharing ideas and inventions brings a positive return. Launched more unique vehicles. This arrangement provides access to automobile industry for windshield displays. Additional areas in 2009 by Chief Technical Officer Jean Botti, Airbus Group bond – both feature sleek Airbus Group capabilities including manufacturing processes, of interest for the car sector include autonomous driving Technology Licensing has helped the company innovate at a designs for power and production methods, metallics and composites expertise, technologies based on innovations originally developed for much faster pace. While it takes many years to develop a new speed. As Airbus Group systems integration and other know-how. aircraft and drones, nanoparticle-based coatings to prevent aircraft, the product lifecycle for new and consumer electronic is proving, high-flying The Maserati deal sets the stage for a new long-term erosion and the DeltaN FS® friction-stir welding system. devices is much faster. The need to provide solutions for partnership approach of Airbus Group Technology Licensing, And cars and airplanes may become even more alike in the customers in these sectors has accelerated Airbus Group’s aerospace technologies which licenses approved technologies to external partners. future. As Airbus Group develops technologies such as 3D capacity to develop new technologies. can improve fuel Called a Technology Transfer Framework agreement, the printing, these capabilities can play a role in the design of new “Licensing our technologies is speeding up the Group’s efficiency and lessen the agreement entitles customers to review an immense portfolio car components – making them more efficient and reducing internal innovation processes and our ability to mature environmental impact of of technologies developed by Airbus Group and identify the dependence on fossil fuels. new technologies,” says Hoeflich. “This is a clear benefit of ones which could be game changers for their products. Another promising field stems from the Group’s effort to develop technology licensing that is very important for the entire Group.” future automobiles. Maserati was carefully selected for the first deal of this type, electric propulsion. The company has already produced Nuño Domínguez as its size and mindset enhance the car manufacturer’s ability the E-Fan, a two-seat electric aircraft demonstrator which to benefit from the agreement. made its public debut last spring. This is a stepping-stone For more information: www.technology-licensing.com

10,000 AIR TRAVEL ANNUAL REDUCTION 8,000 -3.1% OF ENERGY ENERGY EFFICIENCY GAINS CONSUMPTION

OUTPACES THAT 6,000 OF GROUND TRAVEL BTU* per passenger mile 4,000 A comparison over the last four decades 2,000 0 Years Airbus Group’s 1970 Technology 1975 Transit buses Licensing Vice 1980 1985 President Wulf Cars Hoeflich (left) 1990 -1.3% 1995 and Maserati Air CEO Harald 2000 Wester (right) 2005 +1.2% -1.0% 2010 Rail 2012

* British thermal units

Data courtesy the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 33 Infographic: Beatriz Santacruz INNOVATION

24 25 THREE IN ONE IN THREE FELL SWOOP FELL 3

PECCHI.Anthony PECCHI.Anthony providingsupport. itwhen to comes newblazing paths products –it is also that it delivers superb only demonstrating Helicopters is not last December, Airbus model, the EC175, completely new first delivery of its Combined with the thecompetition. their own against that more than hold product upgrades and EC145 T2, two the EC135 T3/P3 recently launched Airbus Helicopters 27 MAKING IT FLY EC145 T2 EC145 Made for saving lives

Another new product upgrade offered by Airbus Helicopters is the EC145 T2. Senior Program Manager Dragos Grigorincu has led this development programme since its launch in 2008, and was also present when the first helicopter was handed over to the DRF Luftrettung, a German air rescue organisation, in July 2014. He says he felt like a father watching his child take its first steps. On that same day, Steffen Lutz, the CEO of DRF Luftrettung, said he was proud – proud to be the first operator in the world to accept delivery of the EC145 T2. Every day, The EC135 T3/P3 is a lightweight twin-engine DRF Luftrettung carries out missions in which every rotorcraft. The 4-ton category rotorcraft has minute counts: transporting a seriously ill cardiac patient, a two engine options: Turbomeca’s Arrius 2B2 premature newborn or a patient with an artificial lung. “Plus” for the EC135 T3, and Pratt & Whitney Now for such flights they can use the EC145 T2, designed

Canada’s PWC 206B3 for the EC135 P3. Charles Abarr precisely for such life-saving missions.

Safe under all circumstances

t’s a gloriously sunny day in an alpine meadow in South The shrouded Fenestron® tail rotor plays a major role in Tyrol, snowy peaks off in the distance. The bishop missions, particularly EMS, where those involved have to Iapproaches a helicopter slowly and walks around the work under stress and time pressure. Steffen Lutz explains: aircraft, touching its nose, side and tail rotor. He then makes “The shrouded tail rotor increases the safety for passengers the sign of the cross and sprinkles the rotorcraft from all and personnel on the ground and in the air, especially for sides with holy water. The date was 9 December 2014, the nighttime rescue work.” day the EC135 T3 belonging to Aiut Alpin Dolomites was What’s more, the upgrade features new and fully digitally consecrated and officially entered service. “It was a moving controlled engines, with significant more power, especially in moment. The pilots’ excitement about the helicopter was OEI situations – one engine inoperative, should one engine written all over their faces,” recalls Niels Kröning. The Senior fail – matched by an upgraded main gear box and new tail Contract Manager from Airbus Helicopters was among rotor gearbox to drive the Fenestron rotor. The new digital those present at the ceremony, along with the Aiut team and Helionix® avionics suite developed by Airbus Helicopters many other guests. marks the highest evolution level for avionic systems with features designed to maximize the mission capability, reduce Raw power underpinned by experience pilot workload and increase flight safety, such as the 4-axis autopilot. Aiut is the first customer to take delivery of the EC135 T3. In the case of engine failure, the autopilot immediately takes Now the pilots have greater power reserves to draw on in over the OEI mode, during which the engine which is still their search and rescue (SAR) operations, which can involve intact can generate enough power for the helicopter to altitudes of up to 4,000 metres. The EC135 T3 provides this continue flying or land safely, even at the maximum take- extra power with a larger main rotor, new engine intakes off weight (MTOW). “This aircraft will set new standards in and a new engine control system. That’s also how the flight performance and flight safety,” predicts Grigorincu. EC135 T3 is able to carry up to 200 kilograms more than its predecessor. This is a major advantage, as Raffael Kostner, one of Aiut’s co-founders, explains: “For SAR operations, we often have to carry four to five people plus equipment, and we frequently carry out multiple missions one after the other. With the EC135 T3/P3, we can do so much more with the same amount of fuel.” “The EC135 is a real workhorse when it comes to police, res- cue and utility operations,” says Kröning. No wonder, then, that this boost in performance was so well received on the demo tour, during which 15 customers from across Europe had the chance to test out the new model for themselves (see page 31). So far, six customers have submitted twelve orders. Kröning is convinced that the upgrade will be a com- mercial success, and for good reason: the EC135 combines experience drawn from nearly 1,200 aircraft, 4 million flight hours and an availability rate of over 95%. “In addition, the improved performance doesn’t translate into higher costs,” says Kröning. In fact, the opposite is true: “The EC135 T3/ P3 has the lowest operating costs in its class.” The EC145 T2 is a lightweight twin-engine EC135 T3/P3 helicopter. The 4-ton-class rotorcraft is able to MAKING IT FLY carry out missions such as EMS, law enforcement, 28 SAR, business aviation, oil & gas and utility. 29 Charles Abarr What customers have to say...

also provide technical support on site. The goal is to guar- Samuel Summermatter, Air Zermatt: antee safety and fleet availability at any time, seven days a This is a really big step in terms of week. performance, especially at high altitude.

No clouds on the horizon Reinhard Kraxner, ÖAMTC: Another feature of the service package is the daily Very smooth flight, powerful automatic gathering of all relevant data recorded during flights. helicopter. I have the feeling it could have “This data is tremendously helpful to us when it comes to given 15-20% more power. With it, we answering customers’ queries,” says Cardin. DEMO TOUR could work on closing our security gaps. Counterparts on both sides work closely together. Cardin explains that a true spirit of teamwork has emerged among the employees from Airbus Helicopters and NHV – a Jan Hronec, Alfa: solid basis for tackling problems together. However, there are currently no problems in sight: the feedback from NHV My feeling is that we can transport 80 kilograms is very positive. Since commercial flights began, the aircraft’s more, and/or fly 20 minutes longer. That capability fleet serviceability has been close to 90% and even the could be very useful, and sometimes even save lives. maintenance times are below the original target. So what’s behind these impressive numbers? “Having a

good product and support basis, maturing the product and EC135 T3/P3 The EC175 is a medium-sized twin-engine helicopter for a full John Taylor, Unite Union:

support before the first delivery, working all along with the EC175 range of missions, including airlift duties for oil & gas operators, customer in full transparency and confidence,” says Cardin. It was something we have been looking for for years. SAR, emergency medical services, public services, VIP and “That’s the only way to succeed in the challenging oil & gas And I think it is the transportation of the future. executive transport. The 7-metric-ton category rotorcraft offers market.” a maximum cruise speed approaching 160 kts, the Helionix® avionics suite and a maximum take-off weight of 7,500 kg. Beata Cece DEMO TOUR DEMO

PECCHI.Anthony Captain Wayne McQueen, CHC Helicopters Australia: The automation is fantastic. It just takes That’s the reason for its success: more than 140 orders have care of everything for you. It’s such a nice already been clocked up. Grigorincu is confident: “We have improvement; I can’t wait to get my hands on it. created a helicopter that will shape the field of air ambulance for the next 20 years, especially in Europe.” Steve Smeltzer, Era Helicopters: Flying carpet For oil & gas operations, I look for speed, payload, cargo availability for passenger bags, and comfort for customers. The In contrast to the EC135 T3/P3 and EC145 T2, the EC175 EC175 does a very good job of meeting those requirements. is a completely new product. On the demo tour in the US, Robert Long from the Bristow Flight Crew flew in the EC175 for the first time. The flight was so smooth, he said, it was like riding a magic carpet. Still, the high degree of satisfac- tion reported by customers during the demo flights (see next page) had to do less with magic and more with their heavy involvement in developing the helicopter. At Customer Advisory Team (CAT) workshops, representatives from Airbus Helicopters and operators from the oil & gas industry discussed ideas along the entire development process. This excellent collaboration with the customers doesn’t end with delivery. The first two aircraft were handed over to Belgian operator Noordzee Helicopters Vlaanderen (NHV) on 11 December 2014, and NHV put them into service just one Make sure to read the next week later. Véronique Cardin, the EC175 Program Support issue of FORUM to learn more Officer at Airbus Helicopters, explains that a dedicated about the X4! Airbus Helicop- organisation was set up specifically to provide top-notch ters will unveil the brand-new support to EC175 customers. A team is available around the helicopter in the 4- to 6-ton- class at the HAI HELI-EXPO clock to respond to customer requests or questions and can Providing round-the-clock support EC175 in Florida in March 2015. requires teamwork: Véronique X4 MAKING IT FLY Cardin’s (front row center) 30 dedicated EC175 support team 31 CEO TALKS PERFORMANCE, OUTLOOK FORUM interviews Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders to find out what impressed him in 2014 and get his thoughts on the year ahead. Interviewed by Paige Wilson Antje Berghaeuser 2014

Did anything particularly impress you A big concern I mentioned earlier is the A400M. We have to transform innovations into viable products faster, simply you see how a process can be improved. Speak up when about the events of 2014? to recover this programme and deliver to the satisfaction because their processes are leaner. Incremental and break- you see money or time wasted. It’s a part of everybody’s job. of our customers. The performance seen in 2014 is not through, or disruptive, innovations are not choices – they are The word “improvement” begins with I. Yes, and it is something that strikes me time and again: how acceptable, hence the recent organisational and manage- two sides of the same coin: long-term business success! much we can achieve in only one year when skills, motiva- ment changes. Any predictions for 2015? What trends tion and dedication all come together. No matter what chal- The situation at Airbus Helicopters is also challenging, since What should we be doing to better leverage our should we be looking out for? lenges our teams are confronted with, they make it fly. 2014 we are coping with a shrinking commercial market. Here, workforce’s talents and expertise worldwide? was no exception. our key objective is to replenish the order book this year, In general, the business environment, from what we can Just think about the rapid integration and restructuring at meaning taking in more orders than the number of aircraft The markets we serve are changing fast and so our work- see today, is not a bad one: the strengthening of the US Airbus Defence and Space, the creation of a new space we deliver so we stop eating into our order book. force also has to evolve to remain competitive. We need to dollar helps us in the long run; interest rates for corporate launcher company with Safran, the fast transformation at Finally, we must continue focusing on our efforts in the way constantly seek improvement – the top management includ- refinancing are at a record low and both of these trends are Airbus Helicopters, and, last but not least, the remarkable of ethics and compliance in the months, and years, to come. ed – which is why we’re putting a lot of emphasis on training. reinforced by the quantitative easing (QE) programme of performance of the A350 XWB and A320neo programmes In 2014 we saw a number of concerns popping up, remind- Airbus Group provided around three million training hours to the European Central Bank. The Anglo-Saxon economies and the huge order intake and record deliveries of our Airbus ing us that we must remain mindful of this topic in our daily its employees worldwide in 2014. Every employee should are clearly on an upswing and the low oil price should fuel commercial aircraft! work. While it takes years to build up a solid reputation, it can pursue training opportunities whenever possible. growth in Europe and Asia. The prevailing optimism in India I would also mention the deliveries achieved for the A400M, be destroyed in an instant. We must safeguard the ‘Airbus’ In addition, last year we launched the Airbus Group and China is particularly encouraging. albeit under very difficult circumstances and degraded brand by continuing to conduct business in an ethical way. Leadership University which will help further develop our The low oil price provides tailwind for our airline customers performance. leaders across the organisation. We’re also working close- and their financial robustness. However, this is bad news for How do we make sure we’re innovating at a ly with universities to secure the skill sets and talents that our heli-business, since the oil and gas industry, our most What is the biggest challenge our Group pace that allows us to remain relevant? we will require in the future (see pages 40-41 for more important customer, is throttling back. faces in the next ten to twelve months? information). And of course the political environment is fraught with risks We do this first by achieving a coordinated focus on innova- and uncertainties – just think about the wars in Ukraine and While I can’t reduce it down to just one big challenge for tion and digitalisation. When I speak of digitalisation, I’m re- If you could only draw your employees’ the Middle East, the threat of Jihadi terrorism and the politi- 2015, certainly, the ramp-up of the A350 programme is a ferring to the ability to mine and master big data and ensure attention to one thing, what would it be? cal instability in the Euro zone. But overall, I clearly see more heavy hitter. This is the programme with the highest visibility seamless connectivity. Don´t get me wrong, Airbus Group is reason for optimism than pessimism in 2015 and – most out there and we have to get it right. Equally important is the a gold mine when it comes to innovations – we do amazing With our group-wide quality initiative fully underway, I en- importantly – I’m convinced that our company is in a good

transition from the A320ceo to the NEO later this year. things. But it is simply not impactful enough if others are able courage everyone to actively contribute to it: speak up when position to deal with these uncertainties. PERFORMANCE

32 33 SHARPENING ith an industry record order backlog and numerous new aircraft ready for introduction, THE COMPETITIVE Wthese are challenging but exciting times for Airbus. Production teams across the globe are gearing themselves up for a year like no other: not only must they help the company meet its delivery targets; they are working to integrate a number of changes in the way they work. From innovative new technologies to EDGE streamlined processes, it’s all designed to ensure the company sharpens its competitive edge by increasing efficiency, raising quality and reducing costs. Leading proceedings is Mario Heinen, Airbus’ Head of Production. He is in the midst of overseeing the implementation of a new ’productivity plan‘ which will see improvements made across the spectrum, from

GOUSSE HERVE GOUSSE the company’s huge supply chain through to delivering a more mature product to customers. “2015 will be a critical year, but it offers a number of opportunities. We have to show that we can adapt and react with speed, simplicity, agility and innovation in the face of fiercely growing competition,” he states. Improved automation and making further use of robots and digitisation for production systems feature prominently in Heinen’s plan. “We are taking inspiration from other industries, particularly the automotive sector. This year, for example, we will complete a Having exceeded its targets series of significant updates to the production flow and delivered a record number lines at our single-aisle wing factory in Broughton. This will help optimise the current production rate of of aircraft in 2014, Airbus 42 single-aisle aircraft a month and ultimately support the planned rate increase of up to 46 aircraft a month is now setting its sights on and beyond.” further refining the way it works Another major project will use data from the digital mock-ups of the design teams transferred directly to enhance the company’s to the assembly teams to create a much simpler and faster process. Installation guidelines can be competitiveness. superimposed onto products using lasers and tablets. “We definitely can see how production will become paperless,” he adds. Further technological enhancements can be witnessed in the design and production of the A350 XWB, which has pioneered the use of Realistic Human Ergonomic Analysis (RHEA) virtual reality technology that will be introduced elsewhere across the company. The technology allows engineers and production workers

MASTERFILMS to ‘enter’ and interact with 3D digital mock-ups of the aircraft, and can also be used to train production workers. “3D printing will also become increasingly significant in the mid-term as a way of reducing lead times, weight and waste material,” says Heinen.

Airbus’ A320neo incorporates two new powerplant choices – including the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engine, which is powering the first NEO aircraft to fly. PERFORMANCE 34 35 36 of working.” a normalway innovation as drive incremental to continuously entrepreneurship create aspiritof “We wantto Head ofProduction Mario Heinen (center) on the shopfloor doubt,it’sright. Without oneofourbiggestyearsever.” we must deliver on our commitments and get everything within a short timeframe. If we are to remain competitive, challenge massive it’sa products, new and ramp-ups future-oriented. When you combine this with production and high-performance more industry manufacturing traditional a making “We’re time. take would normally implementing is he changes the that knows Heinen hlegs Hie amt, u i as presents also it but own admits, Heinen its challenges, has functions multiple and locations of number a across plan productivity the Enforcing innovation asanormalwayofworking.” incremental drive continuously to entrepreneurship of spirit a create to want We costs. cut to people asking simplifying and improving our daily tasks, rather than just like to involve them all in coming up with ways of further employees have the best knowledge of our processes. I’d “Ultimately,element. human the emphasise to keen our is Heinen company’scompetitiveness, the boosting in part important an plays undoubtedly technology While Creating aspiritofentrepreneurship and gradual innovation, gradual and productionlong by cycles In a business characterised cost competitors.” low- against competitive stretch themselves to stay to have they that aware fully are teams the da, agen- the on high stays profitability as course, Of solution works best where. which see to parallel in initiatives different run also can other,we each from learn all we can only “Not advantages. Geoff Poulton

minor modifications withoutdisruptingtheassembly line. own dedicated facilities is also being added this year to handle its centrewith customization A missions. military and SAR to sion, studies are underway to extend favourite configurations costs by 30 percent. In addition to the EC225’s oil & gas ver management non-recurring and percent 20 by hours work ensure customers get what they want while reducing assembly to able is company the setups, standardised these offering By configuration’. ‘favourite the in delivered was one but All globe. the across sector gas and oil the in clients different 10 for manufacturedwere EC225s 36 years, two past the In Favourite configurations by simulatingtheprocess foraparticularpartinworkflow. assembly parts of sequencing the optimise will techniques factory’ ‘Digital XWB. A350 and A380 the as such aircraft for production revolutionised successfully already has which Airbus, from insight valuable from benefit will company The design, manufacturing, and testing to secure entry into service. for processes robust more introduce will Helicopters Airbus 2018, in service enter to scheduled X4, the with Beginning IMPROVED MATURITY making itquickertoinstallthethousandsofnewparts.” fuselage, whole the on techniques production laser-guided use can we this, “With explains. Castrillo picture,” complete one in conversions the all show to aircraft entire the of up quicker customisation, we’ll be able to produce a digital mock- for elements design modular more introducing as well “As Following this success, further improvements are set for 2015. and areduction incosts,”saysCastrillo. we’retime, lead alreadythe increased cut seeing only quality FAL crew to work on three MRTTs simultaneously. “We’ve not each aircraft is moved through three ‘pulse lines’, allowing the process in 2014. Instead of being based solely in one hangar, conversion the of reorganisation major a to thanks nine just takes now months, 12 of average an took previously What and missionsystems. navigation new interior, install and equipment the refuelling fit the change processto three-stageconversion the beginning in Airbus FAL before the from Toulouse, over flown is aircraft (MRTT) is adapted from the twin-aisle commercial A330. Each TankerRole Multi TransportThe Madrid. outside just Getafe, in (FAL) Line Assembly Final Derivatives Military the of Head Castrillo, Alberto says one,” existing an inside aircraft new a building it’slike challenge: special a is MRTT A330 “The CONVERSIONS QUICKER MRTT:A330 ENABLING -

R bling us to further roll out our on-going school competitions,” ue supporting the study of STEM among young people, ena- ther extend its global reach. “The new foundation will contin- the staff, the Airbus Corporate Foundation will be able to fur as well as banner one projectsunder existing combining By in advantage emergency situations.” real a are services communication shel- and Space’sters and Defence Airbus rotorcraft, and aircraft a make can we today’son impact positive and our to addition In world. complex Group, our products across the available know-how combining “By the Foundation’s Manager. Operations Dieu, Gina affirms causes,” worthwhile for employed be can that assets many so has Group “Our Executive Director. and increased costs efficiency,” administration says in Andrea reduction Debbane, a the resources, Foundation’s better of a use in result will merger the by created synergies the that the Group can have when it pools its resources. “Clearly, impact the demonstrated Foundation the gesture, this With Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). International the Corporate to donation Airbus matching a new made Foundation the when mark euro 260,000 the hit initiative The Ebola. against fight the and refugees Iraqi encourage employees to play their part. Airbus Corporate Foundation seeks to international support initiatives and Integrating the existing foundations across Airbus Group, the newly unified COMMITMENT A COLLECTIVE rs ntoa sceis n upr o Sra and Syrian of support in societies Red national to Cross euros 130,000 donated employees Group Airbus appeal, pre-Christmas special a to esponding Ibrahim Malla /IFRC Malla Ibrahim -

their immensedesire togetinvolved,”saysDebbane. er to employees and creating enough opportunities to satisfy “Our challenge and focus lie in bringing the Foundation clos- be presented to Group management in the first half of 2015. will projects first the that adds who Debbane, explains ent,” pres- is Group the where regions the in programmes these develop to partners right the for looking currently are “We devoted topromoting socialentrepreneurship. aerospace. Backing up these activities will be a new section for passion a with them infusing and people young among interest arousing of aim the with introduced be will projects other Meanwhile, studies. their continue to students school high and middle struggling encourage to seeks programme with United Way in Toulouse, Wichita, Madrid and Cadiz, the Flying Challenge youth mentoring programme. Run together tress, it will expand a number of existing projects, such dis- as in the communities to aid provide to IFRC the with nership particular.in issues youth and part- its continuing as well As aid humanitarian on activities its focus will Foundation The munities,” addsDebbane. more employees to support projects serving their local com- encourage and world the around initiatives in engage tively ac- to plan “We team. Foundation new the of member and Foundation EADS former the from Certiat Marie-Claire says

© Victor Lacken / IFRC

© Victor Lacken / IFRC The International Federation The International vital aidtopopulations Cresent Societiesprovide of RedCross andRed around theworld Mariane Pontone 37 PERFORMANCE Between work and personal commitments, family, friends and hobbies, most of us find ourselves striving to maintain a state of balance. Winning Airbus Group is also actively seeking to achieve Line Tool team balance: balance in its workforce to ensure led by it is a diverse, top-performing enterprise. Métayer (center) n the words of British actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson at the launch event for the IHeForShe campaign, “It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.” This could very well be the mantra of the brand-new cross- departmental, transnational network launched by Airbus Group. ‘Balance for Business’, the first company network designed to raise employees’ awareness on the benefits of a diverse workforce, aims to unite all the existing women’s networks in its Divisions under one roof and to involve men and women alike in the pursuit of gender balance and equal opportunities. Diversity is an asset: study after study demonstrates a positive correlation between companies’ profitability and the number of FOR EXCELLENCE women occupying executive positions. “The primary mission of Balance for Business is to increase the competitiveness of our company by redressing the balance of gender through- Jacqui Chan, Head of The 2015 Awards for Excellence celebrate the teamwork, effort and innovation behind solutions out the organisation,” explains Jacqui Chan, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion Diversity and Inclusion. “Recognising and valuing the diversity that move the company forward and deliver value. This year, for the first time, employees across all of our workforce will help us compete in the war for talent. By Divisions in the Group will have a chance to win recognition for the extraordinary ways they have cultivating an inclusive, high performing company culture, we really useful career advice from an experienced person who’s implemented effective answers to today’s business objectives, strategies and expectations. will drive engagement, foster innovation, boost productivity not one of my line managers,” states network member Camilla and raise our corporate social responsibility.” Le Net. “Having a global network will give us the opportunity “The initiative will help us re-establish a balance while to learn from others, show that our projects can bring added respecting gender differences. Men have as much to win as value to the company, and underscore that gender equality women in the quest for equality,” adds Abdelkrim Serend, in the workplace is not just a women’s issue.” n 2013, Dr. Mareike Boeger’s team had a choice to to the Group’s performance and aligns with business priorities. a controller and online networking manager in Airbus Bringing together the 2,000 members of the Group’s make. “When one of our part suppliers closed his busi- Ultimately, says Penabayre, “our projects must be connected Helicopters’ WoMen in Business Network. existing networks, Balance for Business will start Iness, we asked ourselves: do we set up a completely new with the realities we are facing in the business.” In concrete terms, Balance for Business will work with the operating in the second half of 2015 and will be run by supply chain and build a new tool . . . or do we just print it?” Patrick Métayer and his team received their 2014 Award for relevant teams to better attract, develop and retain skilled participating employees. A board made up of volunteers will Boeger is now Head of Additive Manufacturing Solutions at Excellence for an innovation addressing Airbus customers women to the company. In doing so, the women and men of lead the committees for developing the pipeline of women, Airbus, a position that was born out of the answer to this across the globe. As Head of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), the network will benefit from stretch assignments, increased matching members to business projects and raising question and the resulting 2014 Airbus Award for Excellence Métayer saw that composite fuselages presented a new exposure and a widened professional network. awareness. This network will report to the new Diversity and winning project. With 3Direct, Boeger and her team creat- problem. During standard landing operations, aircraft may “This global network will look to create a type of collective Inclusion steering board made up of members of executive ed Airbus’ first-ever 3D-printed part to fly on a customer sustain an impact that could dent a metal fuselage. With the intelligence,” says Serend. “The meetings we’ve organised committees across the Group, and will be chaired by Airbus aircraft. “By getting the part into service, we demonstrat- fully composite A350, an impact won’t result in a visible mark, to date have given rise to a number of ideas that have since Group CEO Tom Enders. ed that 3D printing spares is feasible,” she says. Once their but delamination – a separation of the composite’s bonded been taken up by operational services. In the future, increasing “This stretch assignment will account for ten percent of the concept took flight, Boeger and her colleagues built their own layers – could occur. Until recently, an NDT inspection and the amount of exchanges and connections among members annual objectives of the people running the network,” adds customer service team dedicated to advancing and evaluation by a specialist was required to clear the aircraft is sure to give way to even more ideas and innovations, at a Chan. “Because achieving the right balance for our people expanding the scope of 3D printed parts. for flight. “It’s impossible to have an NDT inspector with faster pace.” and the company is an investment we cannot afford to miss.” Projects like 3Direct enhance customer value and equipment at every airport in the world,” says Métayer. “Our “Thanks to the WiN mentoring programme – part of the Airbus satisfaction, one of primary targets of the Awards for idea was to develop an automatic system, called a Line Tool, women’s network in Toulouse – I’ve been able to get some Mariane Pontone Excellence. In 2015, the Awards, which first started in Airbus, which could be used by non-NDT specialists like aircraft crew are expanding to include all Divisions and Headquarters. and mechanics.” Today, customers such as Qatar Airways This Group-wide initiative cites recognition as a key driver of and Finnair are requesting the Line Tool with the delivery of engagement. “We are recognizing not only what a project’s their new A350 XWBs. end result is but also how it was achieved,” says Didier The Awards for Excellence benefit the Group’s customers Penabayre, Head of Culture and Change at Airbus Group. and employees alike. Teams have a chance to present their FINDING THE RIGHT The Awards’ judging panels, comprised of executives and award-winning projects to a selection committees made up senior managers, will also look at criteria such as how the of top managers, which, along with recognition by top man- project has been managed, how it demonstrates teamwork, agement, affords them increased visibility. The Group uses this the sustainability of the project and its transferability. “If the opportunity to make the best use of its employees’ talents, project is best practice, can it easily be transferred from one helping to realize their projects for the end user’s benefit. Division, country or continent to another?” asks Penabayre. Judges will carefully examine how the project has contributed Jess Holl BALANCE PEOPLE 38 39 niversities are part of a greater, evolving worldwide sometimes an entire master’s degree. At a Spanish environment,” reflects Quin Genee at Delft University university, Airbus co-developed a master’s programme Uof Technology in the Netherlands, “which means they in which some of the courses were taught by professors need to constantly strengthen partnerships in technology and others by Airbus experts. “Influencing the way future and sciences. We’re very open to that.” The feeling was engineers will be developed and taught is how we’re mutual at Airbus Group, which, in 2013, had identified TU making our mark on education,” says Thierry Baril, Chief Delft as a strategic partner able to provide answers to the Human Resources Officer at Airbus Group. future needs of the company. TU Delft welcomes this kind of innovation in its Today, Genee liaises with Airbus Group to identify their educational programme, introducing more real-life pro- combined ambitions for the Partner Programme. “We’re jects and problems into the curriculum. Innovation is an looking quite far into the future with this col- important value for the Group, supported not laboration,” she says. “We’d like to focus only in teaching methods but also as a learned on how we can keep up with future tech- “Influencing skill – being innovative in one’s way of work- nologies and prepare our students to de- ing and in the questions one asks. “We want to liver on technological advancements.” Her the way future challenge our students with mentors who can sentiments echo those of David Golden, engineers will kick-start their experience and expose them the Employment Marketing Manager at to this corporate, dynamic environment.” says Airbus Group responsible for Group’s be developed Genee. She adds that the university would also university relations strategy. “The benefit of and taught like to attract more female talent to the aero- establishing a dialogue with our partner space field by having more female role models. universities is that they can better under­ is how we’re The 119,000 students covered by the University stand our needs,” he says. “We are making our mark Partner Programme are a global talent pool looking at what the engineer of the fu- in which the Group can invest long term. By ture looks like and how we can help the on education.” linking the industry and education, the universities understand the gap between Programme creates a dialogue: universities Chief Human Resources Officer their current educational programmes and Thierry Baril contribute their educational expertise while Thierry Baril what we require. These competencies are Airbus Group shares its knowledge of prod- Mike Goldwater the cornerstone of our collaboration.” uct integration in its core business. “We want Genee acknowledges that when universities think of the to inspire students through this programme to succeed in future, they often focus on a faraway horizon, generating employment,” concludes Golden. “This means stimulat- innovative ideas. But it’s just as vital to look at current needs ing university courses, facilitating industry placements and and incremental advancements alongside groundbreaking giving visibility to these students inside the company.” technologies. Says Golden, “We devised a list of 20 criteria “To other universities thinking of joining a programme like for our partner universities, the most important being the this, I would say it’s very worthwhile,” adds Genee. “Not only ones linked to competencies we’ll need in the near future, can you exchange with the universities within the Partner 5-8 years from now.” Programme network, but you can also exchange with Currently, the Programme focuses on undergraduates and experts on questions like, ‘What are the future needs and chal- graduates and involves academic staff, with Airbus Group lenges we see in the aerospace field and how can we partner PARTNERING employees acting as Ambassadors assigned to partner for technology advancement?’ and ‘How can we bring these universities. Ambassadors work with Employment technologies to work?’ That’s a real advantage.” Marketing Managers to bring the partnerships to life, collaborating with their university focal point to review the in- Jess Holl TO SHAPE stitution’s curricula, implementing training modules, courses, THE FUTURE

When the Airbus Group University Partner Programme was formalised in November 2014, it encompassed a network of 22 universities in 12 countries across the world. These win-win relationships help universities and Airbus Group The programme fosters an alike ensure that the engineers of the future are prepared for the challenges open dialogue between the industry and academia awaiting them. Mike Goldwater Mike Goldwater PEOPLE

40 41 FACTS & FIGURES

Nearly Number 2 decades 1 of cooperation million Airbus: supply chain development EUR and research agreements with the 1 POLISH AEROSPACE in the Polish Airbus has cooperated with the Polish aerospace industry INDUSTRY BURGEONING since 1997, benefitting from Polish expertise in aircraft production. The dynamic development of the Aviation Valley HELICOPTER MARKET cluster has bolstered industrial collaborations, and more than in annual ten local companies are involved in the company’s supply chain, in addition to multiple indirect suppliers. These suppliers R&D SPENDING contribute to propulsion systems, aerostructures, materials Source: Airbus Group. and parts, systems, equipment and cabin making on all of Airbus’ aircraft programmes. In 2006, Airbus signed a strategic framework agreement with Technology Partners, a foundation representing Poland’s Tier ANNUAL PREMISES SOURCING: IN major research organisations. The objective: to develop POLSKA innovative aeronautic solutions using the latest technologies. 1 In May 2011, the agreement was extended to cover research > 191 2 locations programmes for the entire Airbus Group. Another milestone in million this field is the Letter of Intent signed in December 2014 with POLAND the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR), EUR per Over the last n recent years, Poland has become an internationally paving the way for lasting cooperation with Polish research year, Warsaw two decades, recognised aviation industry leader. Airbus Group’s key and development leaders. and growing activities in the country include the production of aircraft and SUPPLIER Mielec I OF AIRBUS Poland’s economy aircraft structures as well as electrical system components for Airbus Defence and Space: GROUP has experienced civil and military use. With sites in both Warsaw and Mielec, added-value partnerships rapid growth – at the Group’s local workforce has grown by 60% over the last more than four four years to today’s figure of some 850 employees. Poland Airbus Defence and Space has been in Poland since 2001, has evolved to become a Tier one supplier of the Group, year during which EADS CASA purchased the oldest aviation Polish + percent per year – demonstrating the high standards the country has achieved manufacturer in the country, PZL Warszawa-Okecie, from the 10 companies 850 attracting sizeable in the high-tech industry. The Group’s annual procurement Polish government. Its Warsaw-based site produces the basic SUPPLY AIRBUS’ AIRCRAFT HIGHLY investment in its CEO and volume from Poland amounts to approximately €191 million. trainer PZL 130 ‘Orlik’, as well as structures, components PROGRAMMES, INCLUDING SKILLED infrastructure and Managing Director With significant engineering skills and resources, a vibrant and assemblies for its C295, CN235 and A400M, and Airbus’ THE A350 XWB & A320neo EMPLOYEES Sebastian Magadzio economy, a growing GDP and a stable political system, Airbus A320s and A330s. 40% of the metallic structures of all C295 businesses. Group is looking to further expand its strategic partnerships sold worldwide originate from Warsaw. Airbus Defence and A member of with the local industry. Space in Warsaw is home to a maintenance centre providing the European Union since service to the Polish fleet of C295s as well as a design office. 2004, Poland’s economy is Airbus Helicopters: leadership and growth Through a collaboration agreement with Poland and its Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL), Airbus Defence and the sixth largest the EU. Present in Poland for more than a decade through its local Space is helping to develop a Polish version of the Atlante Since 2001, Airbus Group has distributor and partner, Heli-Invest, Airbus Helicopters fully unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be manufactured in the been a partner of the Polish shares the Group’s ambitions for the country. With over country and used locally and internationally. The company Infographic: Beatriz Santacruz aerospace and defence industry – 54 helicopters in operation, Airbus Helicopters is currently closely collaborates with Polish industrial and scientific leaders the country’s market leader among Western rotorcraft – together, they are paving the way for future Polish space a partnership that is set to grow. manufacturers. Through Heli-Invest Services, Airbus activities. FORUM takes a closer look at Helicopters offers comprehensive maintenance and repair Another beneficial tie-up is Airbus Defence and Space’s the Group’s current activities in activities for the company’s fleet in Poland. joint venture with the Space Research Centre of the Polish that 2015 will be the year of key campaign successes and Poland and its future ambitions. Airbus Helicopter’s EC725 Caracal holds a pivotal role in Academy of Sciences, which carries out research and rapid growth of our industrial activities in the country.” the company’s recent bid for the Polish Ministry of National development activities in the segment of satellite and space With Poland’s imminent tender decision for modern multi- Defence’s 2014 tender calling for 70 new helicopters: 48 technologies. Astri Polska is the first company in Poland to role helicopters, Airbus Helicopters’ EC725 Caracal project multi-role transport, 16 search and rescue/combat search and offer integrated applications combining satellite navigation, has the potential to significantly accelerate the integration of rescue (CSAR), and 6 anti-submarine machines. It is the only observation and telecommunication technologies. the country’s aerospace and defence industry in the Group’s modern and combat-proven helicopter on the market able to value chain. Beyond this project, the Group envisages perform a wide range of missions, from special operations to A bright future further engagement in the country, with plans for substantial CSAR, tactical transport and medical evacuation. Currently research and technology development investments, transfer operated by the military forces of France, Brazil, Mexico, Airbus Group’s desire is to further strengthen its partnership of technology and engineering capabilities, increased sourcing Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, it has demonstrated its with Poland and see the country play a bigger role in Europe’s from local aerospace suppliers, the creation of additional reliability in various crisis areas including Lebanon, Afghanistan defence industry. “Poland is a signficiant element of our industrial hubs in the country, and more than doubling the and Mali, while supporting France’s role during NATO-led Group’s strategy in Europe,” says CEO and Managing Director local workforce over the next ten years.

operations in Libya. of Airbus Group Polska Sebastian Magadzio. “I am optimistic Paige Wilson AROUND THE GLOBE

42 43 44 F fighters nestle beneath the wings of an Airbus A300 B; to B; A300 jet Airbus tiny an of Guppy; wings the Super beneath a nestle fighters by dwarfed is XI at Blériot in A take once. to aircraft a historic offering many too Youenter balcony of a view panoramic onto ofAeroscopia opens have changed. that corridor a interior times through the stunning much at how confirmed glance first My Times change FORUM sent Ed Parkinson to take alook. looking area of the economy is starting to value its roots and record its relativelyyoung,achievements.a forward- as seen often isday. whatthatshowssingle also a It uniqueto opportunity learn about the industry’s past and present in the course of a visitors offers museum,Toulouse’s aviationAeroscopia, newof opening The better fortheresting icon. that reminded meofanoldVWcampervan.I’danticipated smell musty a was there Inside area. crime high a in shed a hefty padlock that you might find barring entry to a garden The reality was a shock. Concorde’s door was held shut with was abouttoboard theworld’s mostfabulous airliner. really took place on Concorde but if it didn’t, it should have. I one last that if sure not I’m Reynolds. Burt with champagne I sipping while coat mink a wearing Collins photograph Joan of saw once a by joined soon flight was He France Janiero. Air de Rio an to of steps the on ‘Moonraker’ in Bond James as raised eyebrow Moore, Roger came Then superson- jet. ic the of model die-cast childhood my of images with filled mind my as forgotten was Work up.” parked one Then she said, “Would you like to see Concorde? We’ve got ery couldbeassembledtosuchhighstandards. day, I began to comprehend how so much complex machin- guide was full of knowledge and as we neared the end of the tour of the production sites in and around Blagnac. Our a on enthusiasts aviation some joined I induction, my of part as and, Airbus for writing started I ago years ive Glamorous roots

your left is a Concorde. A shiny, clean Concorde. The visit The Concorde. clean shiny, A Concorde. a is left your o mc o a rbe, sy Rca H as pit out points for up mock digital living a become also aircrafthas also the that He Rocca. says problem,” a of much too wasn’t it use museum the letting so euro a for it got we but aircraftthe buy to had reasonswe legal “For bargain. a was livery.company original It the in it repainted who Airbus into back way its found eventually but PanAm to sold originally and there is also an excellent view of the cockpit. The jet was feet their beneath on goes what glimpse to public the lows Corporate Jet.Furtherforward asectionofPerspexflooral- Airbus by inspired interiors luxurious with cabin the of back to good effect used by Flight Heritage Association who been furnished the has it and incredible is space widebody.of modern feeling a The and aircraft first Airbus’ into A300B, walkway a the over you takes visit the of stage next The Airbuspassenger is usedto!” a modern same as they did then but they wouldn’t provide the comfort wereseats the removed narrowedand the look They little. a so time, a at visitors three than more have to us for narrow too was aisle the that regulationsproject.meant “Safety um muse- the in involved been Airbus’ has who of department, head heritage Rocca, Jacques explains have,” passengers to the used than space more got you’ve “Actually is. there space little how just realise you standardand cabin passenger a is there aircraft the down Further computers? cockpit and to be so advanced, surely there must have that been have to speeds, those at fly to Concorde the for – ers are There installation. test flight plenty of dials and screens, but original I keep searching for comput- of treat display first the the is turnstile, the through passing After begins.

J.V. Reymondon 45 HERITAGE Top center and bottom left: The best of aviation history on display at Aeroscopia

Bottom right (from left to right): Bernhard Keller, Mayor of Blagnac and Airbus’ Jacques Rocca Stay up-to-date with Airbus Group happenings by connecting to our growing online presence P. PIGEYREP. Björn Kindler

operators who are still flying A300s. “These were built using growing interest in aviation history as much as it can. “We old-fashioned drawings but people are used to working in want to work with partners in places such as Toulouse

3D nowadays so they come to Toulouse and use this air- and also Filton, where a lot of the money to put a roof over JEAN-VINCENT REYMONDON craft as a reference. Link that to 3D printing and you have a their Concorde is coming from the National Lottery – we’re fantastic source for parts that went out of production years happy to play a role in these initiatives. We want our em- ago – sometimes the past and present complement each ployees to feel proud of what they are doing and that means other beautifully.” understanding our roots, our place in global aviation history.” ANNUAL RESULTS DESIGNING THE FUTURE A FEAST FOR THE EYES My final highlight was standing on the platform inside the Although a site has yet to be chosen the next step is like- Follow the live streaming of Airbus What will be the design processes We’ve selected for you just one of the belly of the Super Guppy, forerunner of the current Belugas ly to be an archive devoted to preserving material such as Group’s Annual Press Conference in behind the aircraft of tomorrow? New several striking photos we’ve recently and soon to come Beluga XLs. The old workhorse now hous- designs, photographs and press cuttings which are becom- Munich on 27 February and access all innovations are set to open up a world uploaded to our Flickr account from the es a screen showing a short film about the Airbus production ing increasingly ephemeral in a digital world. the relevant financial figures and latest of exciting possibilities for engineers and Aeroscopia Museum opening. Enjoy processes that it once played a key role in. However much I And that unique link to the present? Aeroscopia is the news. passengers alike. the rest, and much more. learn about the Super Guppy, two thoughts never leave me world’s only museum where visitors can buy their tickets www.airbusgroup.com www.airbusgroup.com/ www.flickr.com/AirbusGroup ITandaerospace1 – it looks fantastic and something that shape should not fly! at one desk to spend the morning steeped in history and the afternoon enjoying a wider tour of the Toulouse plants, A must see including the state-of-the-art A350 XWB FAL, through SAS Airbus Group Online Taxiway’s ‘Lets Visit Airbus’ tour. As we walked around the extensive collection of small- facebook/AirbusGroup er aircraft, Rocca told me that Airbus plans to support the Ed Parkinson and Marc Stephens facebook/AirbusGroupCareers F. ESPINASSEF.

twitter/AirbusGroup CHRISTIAN BRINKMANN CHRISTIAN

youtube/AirbusGroup

flickr/AirbusGroup

Airbusgroup.com

ONE YEAR OF A LOCAL AIRBUS GROUP PARTNER From the certification of A350 XWB to In celebration of the Aero India airshow the first delivery of EC175 and historic in February, discover how the scale of comet landing of Rosetta: who else Airbus Group’s work in India has rapidly can claim such an impressive first year increased over the years. of life? Review Airbus Group’s 2014 www.airbusgroup.com/india highlights through new videos and infographics. www.airbusgroup.com/int/ en/story-overview

46 GOUSSE HERVE master films / H. GOUSSÉ CONNECTED B:241 mm T:235 mm S:229 mm B:306 mm T:300 mm S:294 mm

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