Liebherr to supply landing gear and hydraulic system for Eurodrone

Liebherr-Aerospace and Airbus Defence and Space have strengthened their relationship by signing a contract for the development and manufacturing of the entire landing gear and hydraulic system of the Eurodrone MALE RPAS (European medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted air system). For Liebherr-Aerospace this cooperation marks the next step into the market of unmanned aerial systems.

Toulouse (France), April 2023 – Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH has been selected by Airbus Defence and Space to deliver the Eurodrone landing gear and hydraulic system. The OEM Liebherr takes responsibility for development and manufacturing of the main and nose landing gear including actuation, steering and electronic control, as well as the electric-motor driven pump (EMP).

The Eurodrone’s hydraulic power supply is purely electrical-driven. Liebherr’s EMP is core of this new power supply. The EMP belongs to a range of innovative and scalable solutions offered by Liebherr for de-centralized electro-hydraulic power supply. The EMP can be installed much closer to the single consumers than conventional engine-driven pumps. The benefits are more efficiency, less weight and less noise emission.

These characteristics are essential for the Eurodrone MALE RPAS of Airbus Defence and Space. As a four-nation-project (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) the program is intended for flights in non-segregated airspace and will give Europe its own capabilities in the growing sphere of unmanned aerial systems.

“We are very proud to support this collaborative European project with our innovative technologies and competencies. We look forward to provide our experience and know-how and to further strengthen our long-term cooperation with Airbus Defence and Space”, commented Gerd Heinzelmann, Managing Director of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Liebherr’s center of competence for flight control and actuation systems, landing gears, gears, gearboxes as well as electronics.

First delivery of the Eurodrone is scheduled for the end of this decade.

About Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation

Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS, Toulouse (France), is one of eleven product segment control companies within the Liebherr Group and coordinates all activities in the aerospace and transportation systems sectors.

Liebherr-Aerospace is a leading supplier of systems for the aviation industry and has more than six decades of experience in this field. The range of aviation equipment produced by Liebherr for the civil and defense sectors includes flight control and actuation systems, gears and gearboxes, landing gear and air management systems as well as electronics. These systems are deployed in wide-bodied aircraft, single aisle and regional aircraft, business jets, defense aircraft, defense transporters, defense training aircraft and civil and defense helicopters.

Liebherr’s aerospace and transportation systems division employs around 6,000 people. It has three aviation equipment production plants at Lindenberg (Germany), Toulouse (France) and Guaratinguetá (Brazil). These production sites offer a worldwide service with additional customer service centers in Saline (Michigan/USA), Seattle (Washington/USA), Montreal (Canada), Hamburg (Germany), Dubai (UAE), Bangalore (India), Singapore and Shanghai (People’s Republic of China).

About the Liebherr Group

The Liebherr Group is a family-run technology company with a highly diversified product portfolio. The company is one of the largest construction equipment manufacturers in the world. It also provides high-quality and user-oriented products and services in a wide range of other areas. The Liebherr Group includes over 140 companies across all continents. In 2022, it employed around 51,000 staff and achieved combined revenues of over 12.5 billion euros. Liebherr was founded in Kirchdorf an der Iller in Southern Germany in 1949. Since then, the employees have been pursuing the goal of achieving continuous technological innovation, and bringing industry-leading solutions to its customers.

Source: Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS