Airbus delivered the aft fuselage for the A350 XWB static test (MSN 0) airframe to the final assembly line in Toulouse. This final section of the fuselage will be assembled with the front and center fuselage sections which were joined up in early April.
Assembled at Airbus’ site in Hamburg, the 20m long carbon fiber aft fuselage is made up of the rear fuselage barrel, produced at Airbus’ Getafe plant, two lateral aft fuselage panels made by Premium AEROTEC plus the upper and lower aft fuselage panels manufactured by Airbus in Stade. Note how many of the key parts are coming from within the Airbus family – which speaks to the supply chain concerns.
MSN 0 will be used for the static structural tests that all new aircraft undergo as part of their certification process. The assembly of the first flying A350 XWB, MSN 1, will start during this summer.
thnx will be interesting to see the full airframe. With regards to its supply chain and lessons learned, for the XWB Spirit is in, Alenia not..