Prashanth G N - Times News Network
Bangalore, Aug 12: Bangalore shining: The city has yet again bagged electrical wiring work on the A-380 — this time the freighter version, A-380F. Airbus supplier P3 India which has brought this latest contract to the city, only two months ago secured contract for electrical wiring work on the passenger version, A-380.
P3 North America operations and India Director Oliver Napp confirmed that the German portion of the wiring work on A-380F has been transferred to Bangalore. He said Bangalore was chosen thanks to its high quality engineering services and IT.
P3 India will not only have its engineers, but will work with engineers from Bangalore-based software companies.
It has conducted negotiations with five companies and has shortlisted two as partners. The agreement on the work is expected to be signed in a week’s time.
The company, which supplies engineering services to BMW, Chrysler, and Mercedes, is looking at a 100 million
dollar turnover this year. India and France will wire up the entire fuselage with each sharing 50% of the work.
Work will begin most likely in September before which Airbus officials are expected to visit Bangalore while engineers from Bangalore will travel to Hamburg.
The initial strength of the A-380F team will be around 50.
P3 India COO Krishan Bhalla said P3 will build electrical wiring a little less than 500 km which is the case in A-380 passenger.
A-380F, expected to be in service by 2009, is a threedeck, long-range freighter capable of carrying payloads of 150-tonnes non-stop up to 10,400 km with the lowest unit cost of any freighter ever. The A-380 is the first project where Airbus has launched cargo and passenger versions of an aircraft at the same time.
New wiring paths and airconditioning systems have been planned. According to Airbus officials, the sevenzone
A-380F air-conditioning system will enable the hauler to accommodate different types of cargo, or in some cases, throttle back to generate up to 3% improvement in fuel burn.
Airbus expects an order for about 400 new freighters to be sold through 2023 in the very-large aircraft size.