Goldhofer formally unveiled its new ATLAS 3 electric towbarless aircraft tractor at GSE Expo Europe in Lisbon, positioning the narrow-body tractor as a key piece of its growing electric aircraft towing portfolio.

Designed primarily for pushback and short-distance, gate-to-gate towing, the ATLAS 3 fills the narrow-body role in a lineup that includes the ATLAS 2 for narrow- and wide-body aircraft and the PHOENIX for high-speed, long-distance towing.

Speaking during a press conference at the show, Goldhofer CEO Matthias Ruppel said the company sees electric, towbarless equipment as the future of aircraft movement.

Goldhofer has been developing towbarless tractors for nearly 40 years, Ruppel said. While it took the company approximately 38 years to produce its first 1,000 units, it manufactured about 200 units in the past year and is continuing to increase production.

The ATLAS 3 incorporates a newly developed aircraft pickup system designed to minimize forces on the nose landing gear while providing precise measurement to help prevent damage and false overload alerts.

Goldhofer also designed the tractor with difficult operating conditions in mind. Aircraft nose load is transferred to the driven rear axle to increase traction, while heavy-duty tires with a traction profile are intended to support operation on snow and ice.

Durability and maintainability were additional priorities. The tractor uses a 96-volt, air-cooled drivetrain, eliminating the liquid-cooling system that would otherwise add components and maintenance requirements.

Goldhofer Vice President of R&D Martin Trautmann said one of the primary development challenges was creating a towbarless tractor with the simplicity of a conventional towbar tractor.

The ATLAS 3 also shares components with other Goldhofer aircraft tractors. It has batteries and electric motors in common with the ATLAS 2, while components including tires, rims and axles are shared across portions of the ATLAS and PHOENIX platforms.

The tractor can be configured specifically for pushback or equipped with a cab supporting operation in two driving directions for repositioning and towing. Goldhofer said the cab also could eventually be removed to allow the ATLAS 3 to operate via remote control.

The ATLAS 3 is being displayed this week at GSE Expo Europe in Lisbon.