AIRBUS FAMILY

At the beginning of the 80s, SONACA set up a durable relationship with AIRBUS through BELAIRBUS, as designer and provider of moveable leading edges for all the types of AIRBUS aircraft, from the A310 to of course, the famous A380, not to mention the single-aisle range (A318/319/320/321) and "Wide Bodies" (A330 and 340 and variants).
On the A380, in addition to the wing leading edges, SONACA is in charge of producing the Nose upper shell, an extensive piece of structure located in the upper front section of the fuselage.
In the field of Defence, SONACA participates in the AIRBUS A400M programme through FLABEL. The A400M is a new generation military transport airplane, for which SONACA has developed and produces the wing leading edges and their associated de-icing system, as well as the main landing gear doors and the engine fairings.


A320 family


With more than 3,200 aircraft sold worldwide, the A320 range looks like the undisputed world leader on the single-aisle aircraft market.
For this family of aircraft, SONACA has been designing and producing slats for the whole range, from the A319 to the A321 ever since the programme started.
Mainly made of aluminium and titanium alloys, the slats are designed, manufactured and assembled using SONACA's unique processes and know-how, relying more particularly on a unique expertise in metal/metal bonding.


A330 – 340 family


The A330 / A340 family concept is unique in the world.
A standardized fuselage is proposed to the customers with six different configurations, and powered by two or four engines.
Ever since the programme was launched, SONACA has been designing and producing all the slats for the whole A330, A340, A340-500/600 range.


A380 family


The AIRBUS A380, real 21st century sky liner, pioneers new comfort and performance standards, both for the passengers and the airlines that decided to acquire it.
For this ambitious programme, SONACA designs and produces the moveable leading edge system for the wing: Slats and Droop noses, whose specificity is to offer exceptional flight performance, associated with a reduction in fuel consumption.
To design and manufacture these components based on the most advanced technologies, SONACA has introduced composite materials (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer or CFRP) in the architecture of the Droop Noses, contributing therefore to the 20% of composite materials used in the aircraft structure.
SONACA also designs and produced the A380 Nose upper shell. This section is located at the front end of the aircraft fuselage, above the cockpit. This component houses a large part of the aircraft electronic equipment.
Finally, SONACA designs and produces the aircraft shield that protects the crew and the aircraft against different types of impacts, among which bird strikes.