KC-390 cargo jet will have landing gear by ELEB
Embraer chooses Brazilian company to design and manufacture this system .São José dos Campos, April 6, 2011 – Embraer has chosen ELEB Equipamentos Ltda. (www.eleb.net) to develop and produce the landing gear of the new KC-390 military transport jet. The contract was signed last week in São José dos Campos, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, where both companies have their head offices.
“The choice of ELEB to develop and manufacture the landing gear of the KC-390 jet was the result of a detailed evaluation that took all of the technical and commercial aspects of the project into account, as well as the company’s experience, the technology used, and the management of development risks,” said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, President of Embraer Defense and Security.
ELEB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Embraer, with 28 years of experience in designing and manufacturing landing gear and hydraulic components for the aviation industry. The company participated in developing the landing gear of the subsonic AMX fighter jet, the commercial jets of the ERJ 145 and EMBRAER 170/190 (E-Jets) families, the Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Legacy 600, Legacy 650, and Lineage 1000 executive jets, and of the light attack and advanced training Super Tucano turboprop.
The company was selected to develop and produce the entire KC-390 landing gear system, and will be responsible for designing a robust and reliable system that will ensure operations with the heavy payloads of large-capacity logistical missions, and with the demanding conditions of semi-prepared airfields. The double chamber shock absorber system and the landing gear installed on the fuselage are other important features of the airplane.
“We are pleased to sign another contract with Embraer and to continue our successful relationship,” said José Luiz Fragnan, Managing Director of ELEB Equipamentos Ltda. “This choice by Embraer shows the reliability of the products we develop and the high technical capability of our professionals. We are certain that we will do work that exceeds the expectations of all of the KC-390 customers.”
About ELEB
ELEB’s origins date back to the 1980s, when Embraer created the Embraer Divisão Equipamentos (EDE) to develop knowledge associated with the technology of the design and production of landing gear and hydraulic components for the aviation industry. In 1999, EDE became Embraer Liebherr Equipamentos do Brasil S.A. (ELEB), which was a joint venture between Embraer (60%) and Switzerland’s Liebherr Aerospace (40%). In 2008, Embraer acquired all of the company’s capital, and it was then called ELEB Equipamentos Ltda.
ELEB is expert in the entire product cycle, including conception, development, tests, certification, manufacturing, and after-sale services. It is involved in the commercial aviation, helicopter, executive aviation and defense sectors. The company has a modern service center, which is capable of providing services for landing gear MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul), as well as servo-controls, actuators, and pylons, among other hydraulic and electromechanical components.
The company has around 800 employees and an area of 24,000 square meters. With its heavy involvement in the North American, European, and Asian markets, ELEB has annual revenues of US$ 100 million.
About the KC-390
The EMBRAER KC-390 will set a new standard for medium-lift military transport. With its twin turbofan engines and their outstanding operational productivity, the cargo jet will have the lowest total life cycle cost and the highest availability in its class.
The airplane can be refueled in flight and quickly reconfigured as a tanker. Its state-of-the-art avionics, with dual Head-Up Display (HUD) and a full-featured mission system, including accurate computed air release point (CARP). Other highlights are a complete self-protection system and full compatibility to the Night Vision Goggle (NVG) technology.
With its outstanding runway performance, the KC-390 can operate from short and semi-prepared airstrips. A full fly-by-wire flight control system with its optimized functions ensures best mission performance and safe flights with reduced crew workload. For more information, visit www.EmbraerDefenseSystems.com.br.
Source: Embraer
