Safran spotlights pivotal role in meeting aerospace challenges at the 2019 Paris Air Show

Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, June 13, 2019

Safran is showcasing a wide range of products at this year’s Paris Air Show, including for the first time its new aircraft interiors business, following the acquisition of Zodiac Aerospace.

From June 17 to 23, Safran will be showcasing its wide-ranging expertise and advanced technologies in aerospace propulsion and equipment, along with new areas of expertise in aircraft cabins, on a stand spanning some 1,200 square meters (12,960 sq ft).

Safran’s presence at the 53rd Paris Air Show focuses on the electric future of aviation. Safran is involved in all aircraft electrical systems, from power generation via the main engines and auxiliary power units, to many different systems powered by electricity, including avionics, brakes and in-flight entertainment. The Group is capitalizing on its extensive expertise and comprehensive vision to build solid foundations for the future of aircraft electrical systems. Safran optimizes the performance of each link in the energy chain: jet engines and other gas turbines, power transmissions, electrical generators, electric motors, power management, wiring, electrical distribution, auxiliary generators, batteries, etc.

The 2019 press kit, dedicated to this exciting subject, can be downloaded by clicking here. A number of lectures on the Group stand throughout the week will showcase Safran’s expertise in aircraft electrification.

Safran’s flagship products will be in the spotlight during the week: the LEAP engine from CFM International (the 50/50 joint company between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE); the M88 engine that powers the Rafale multirole fighter; and a mockup of the engine for the new-generation fighter at the heart of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). In February 2019, Safran and MTU Aero Engines signed a partnership agreement to design, develop and build this engine.

Several of Safran’s helicopter engines will also be on display, including the Arrano, a 1,100 to 1,300 shaft horsepower engine designed for rotorcraft in the 4 to 6-ton class.

For the first time, Safran will be presenting oxygen masks and systems for civil and military aircraft, including the latest member of this family, a quick-donning mask with removable visor. The same area will spotlight the LiSafe fuel quantity indicating system, a set of sensors that addresses the need to further improve the safety of aircraft operating in severe electromagnetic environments, for latest-generation aircraft making extensive use of composite materials. The LiSafe system has been chosen by Boeing for its new 777X jetliner.

Safran will also be showing a new generation of optical sensors designed to offset the risks of icing. As the world leader in evacuation slides, used on most mainline and regional commercial jets, Safran will display a slide from the Airbus A220 which allows the aircraft to be evacuated in less than 90 seconds.

Another first spotlighted on the Safran stand is a mockup of the ECOS™ cabin, showing Safran’s ability to design, produce and integrate all aircraft interior components. It includes a new fixed-shelf bin configuration, which facilitates the loading of carry-on luggage, SmartLavatories, the SpaceFlex V2 lavatory and galley combo, PaxPOD personal service units, crew seats, Z85 and Z110i economy class seats and the RAVE in-flight entertainment system. Also on view here is the Skylounge Core business class seat, designed using a modular platform and optimized for the Airbus A330 and Boeing 787. This seat won the Janus label of excellence from the French Design Institute in 2018.

One item will really stand out: the aerodynamically designed nacelle for the Airbus A330neo, stretching some 3.65 meters in diameter, using composites to reduce weight and also improve the overall performance of the engines and the aircraft.

The stand will also display an Airbus A350-900 main landing gear and a carbon brake for the Airbus A350 XWB, which is more efficient, lighter and longer lasting than the steel version used on previous generations of commercial airplanes.

Safran is also on hand, of course, at the Careers Plane, a venue that groups the Jobs corner and the Employment-Training Forum. This venue focuses on jobs, employment and training in the aerospace industry. Job candidates will get a better idea of professional opportunities at Safran, thanks to discussions and special events focusing on selected job fields, as well as meetings with human resources managers and Safran’s “ambassadors”. From now to 2022, Safran plans to hire more than 45,000 new employees, equal to half of the current workforce.

Safran is once again participating in the Paris Air Lab this year. In this venue dedicated to research, industrial innovation and long-term planning, aerospace industry majors and startups alike will be showing off their latest innovations. Safran will be playing an active role in a number of key spaces, including those concerning low-noise and low-carbon aircraft, energy innovations, future air mobility and more.