Vought Receives Contract Extension to Build Various Wing Components for Airbus A330/A340 Aircraft

NASHVILLE,– Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. has signed a life-of-program contract extension with Airbus for various long-range aircraft wing packages. The new contract, with its provisions for increased delivery rates, has a potential total value of approximately $1 billion over the next five years.

Under the contract, Vought continues to be the sole-source supplier to Airbus on the A330/A340 mid-and outboard leading edge assemblies, top panel assemblies, center spar assemblies and mid-rear spars as well as the A340-500/600 mid- and outboard leading edge assemblies, top skins and stringers, center spar assemblies and mid-rear spars.
“This contract extension with Airbus is extremely important to us,” said Neil Peace, Vought’s Airbus program director. “We see it as a vote of confidence in our manufacturing capabilities and quality.”

In 1988, the company was awarded a contract to supply wing components for the A330/A340 aircraft. Initial deliveries began in 1990, with shipment of the 775th unit occurring this month. Today, about 600 Vought employees in Nashville work on the Airbus A330/340 program.

“As a result of the contract extension and increased delivery rates, Vought is making additional capital investments to upgrade our existing equipment, including multiple automated riveting machines and high-speed, long-bed machining centers,” said Alan Smith, Vought’s Airbus business director. “These investments are important to meet the commitments under the contract and are large building blocks in our growing relationship with Airbus.”

The A330/A340 family of long-range aircraft offers a single basic airframe in several versions, with two or four engines, to achieve operating efficiencies.