September 2018 – Boeing Commercial Airplanes has awarded Liebherr-Aerospace another contract for their 777 and 777X programs. Liebherr-Aerospace will deliver two electronic components of the main gear steering system for the two wide-bodies: the main gear steering control unit and the nose gear steering position transducer.
Relying on its unrivalled experience in landing gear systems, Liebherr-Aerospace will design and manufacture the main gear steering control unit, as well as the nose gear steering position transducer. Boeing’s 777 and 777X aircraft utilize a steered aft axle on each of the main gears to minimize turning radius and reduce tire scrub. The main gear steering control unit receives signals from the two nose gear steering position transducers (one on the captain tiller and one on the first officer tiller) and controls the two power control actuators (one per each main landing gear aft axle). It assists normal taxi manoeuvers whenever the nose gear is steered greater than 13° and provides a locking mechanism to lock the aft axles in the centered position.
Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Lindenberg (Germany), Liebherr’s center of excellence for flight control and landing gear systems will be in charge of developing and qualifying the units. The qualification as well as the manufacturing of the main gear steering control will be conducted in house at Liebherr-Elektronik GmbH, Lindau (Germany), center of excellence for electronic hardware development and manufacturing, in order to remain in control of this key electronic unit and to provide Boeing the high quality that Liebherr is known for. Liebherr-Aerospace will support the design and development also from its liaison office in Seattle to ensure a close interaction with Boeing.
Liebherr-Aerospace has won this new contract in addition to the ones received during the last three years covering the 777X folding wing tip system, the trailing edge actuation system as well as the power drive unit and the hydraulic motor for the leadingedge actuation system. This contract extends the portfolio of Liebherr to supply equipment for the 777.
