EADS Socata at the Paris Air Show 2005: TBM 700C2 heading for commercial success

EADS Socata, Europe's leading general aviation manufacturer is showcasing at the Paris Air Show its range of aircraft and services.

Stars of the show, the Airbus A380 and the Dassault Falcon 7X, have also benefited from EADS Socata's engineering expertise as an industrial partner, the other side of the company's activity - full subcontracting from design to customer support with entirely digital production process.

EADS Socata leverages its expertise as an aircraft manufacturer in two main fields of excellence: composites aerostructure and large stretched-formed sheet metal. In addition to the A380 and the F/X, EADS Socata is involved in the whole Airbus series range, the military cargo A400M, , Embraer regional jets 170/190 and Eurocopter helicopters.

Based at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport near Toulouse, EADS Socata is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS group. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of € 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.

Introduced in 2003, the TBM 700C2 offers a payload increase of 12% as compared to the B version. It enjoys considerable commercial success: in two years, as many TBM 700C2 have been delivered as the whole TBM series in its first three years. It embodies EADS Socata's philosophy of continuously tailoring product development in line with evolving customer requirements. In its August 2004 Operator Survey Professional Pilot magazine recognized TBM 700C2 as the best performing plane in the turboprop category.

TBM 700C2 is now certified in the USA, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe and South Africa, the TBM 700C2 is set to make an impact on new markets. In 2004 the Czech Republic and Brazil both joined the TBM 700 Operators club. They will no doubt be followed by new members has EADS Socata's commercial network expands with new Aircraft sales representatives in South Africa, Brazil, USA, France and Turkey.

New horizons are also opening up following the ICAO's decision in late march 2005 to allow commercial passenger transport on single-engine turboprops under instrument and night conditions, a recognition of the greater level of safety offered by this category of aircraft compared to twin-piston still in operations.

EADS Socata continues manufacture of the TB GT on a build-to-order basis. The 19 deliveries which were made in 2004 were in the main for flight training organisations such as the Indonesian Navy Flight School, the Dutch airline Martinair training subsidiary, HM Aerospace of Malaysia and the university of Anadolu in Turkey.
At the 46th Paris Air Show this year EADS Socata is exhibiting the fastest model of the TB GT range, the TB 21 Trinidad GT Turbo which can reach a maximum cruising speed of 350 km/h (190 KTAS) at an altitude of 25 000 ft (7 635 m).
This remarkable performance is due to its turbocharged engine which conserves power almost to its maximum altitude.
As well as its exceptional cruise capability, the Trinidad 21 GT also offers notable characteristics for take-off at high altitude or extremely hot temperatures. The Trinidad GT can also be equipped with a full airframe de-icing system TKS which allows flight under known-icing conditions (in countries where this option is certified). Socata TB 21 GT is equipped with a three blade; liquid de-iced Hartzell Scimitar propeller as standard which gives reduced noise level with no diminution of performance.

Standard avionics features a VHF/VOR/ILS/GPS GNS 530 and GNS 430, a GTX 327 transponder and a KFC 225 automatic pilot.

EADS Socata has applied its aircraft manufacturing talents and skills in leading technologies to the two stars of the 46th Paris Air Show: the Airbus A380, world's largest airliner and the Dassault Falcon 7X, world's first fly-by-wire business jet.

On the Airbus A380, EADS Socata is responsible for design, industrialization, manufacturing and customer support of the lower-nose structure and composite nose landing gear doors.

On the Dassault Falcon 7X, EADS Socata builds the T34 upper fuselage section and the body fairings, the first all-composite fairing for a Falcon Jet Aircraft.

For these two programs EADS Socata's engineers distinguished themselves by their expertise in the digital manufacturing process from design to customer support An expertise further enhanced by using the revolutionary virtual product development platform implemented by Dassault Aviation. All this in a context which demands cost-effectiveness, stringent levels of quality and security and an environment-friendly approach.

EADS Socata investments in those two programs included the construction of a new assembly hall, a large dimension nitrogenous pressurized autoclave and a C-Scan machine, an ultra-sonic composite testing equipment.

Other aerostructure programs in which EADS Socata has been involved include the Airbus A330 and A340-500/600 series, for belly-fairing manufacture, the single-aisle Airbus series for engine pylon aft structure assembly, aerostructures for Embraer ERJ 170/190 regional jets, ATR 42/72 and Eurocopter helicopters. New elements for new programs will soon be making their appearance in EADS Socata workshops such as sponsons (main landing gear fairings) for the future European military cargo aircraft A400M.

Two new contracts were won by EADS Socata in 2004: for the manufacture of the nose landing gear doors for the A400M and for the full sub-contracting of the A340 belly fairing.

300 TBM 700 delivered, 210 in the USA, 78 in Europe including 20 aircraft in the French Air Force and 8 with with French Army Air Corps (ALAT). The TBM 700 family has so far accumulated more than 380,000 flight hours.
Other aircraft are 2200 TB, 3200 Rallye and 17 MS 760 Paris Jet

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