Hindustan Aeronautics to make flaperons for Boeing 777
Bangalore, Oct 22 : Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will jointly manufacture flaperons for the Boeing 777 series of aircraft manufacturer major Boeing Corp, the state-run defence behemoth said Thursday.
A flaperon is a type of control surface that combines flaps and ailerons, which are attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-winged aircraft. They are used to control the aircraft in roll.
Flaperons also reduce the weight of an aircraft.
"The 777 flaperon is a complex composite assembly that is instrumental in controlling an aircraft's maneuverability in flight. As a control surface, flaperons work both as an aileron to control roll and as a flap to control lift," the company said in a statement here.
An agreement to jointly produce flaperons was signed here by HAL corporate planning and marketing director Soundara Rajan and Boeing director Rick Mattern.
As per the agreement, HAL will deliver flaperons in phases with the first set to be rolled out in the next couple of years.
"One of the world's premier long-haul commercial jets will showcase our composite manufacturing capability and gives us an opportunity to be at the forefront of technology," Rajan said on the occasion.
India's national carrier Air India has placed an order for 23 Boeing 777 aircraft, while private carrier Jet Airways has ordered 13.
HAL structures division had earlier secured a Boeing order to manufacture over wing exit doors for its 757 series.
It has also bagged an order from European aerospace consortium Airbus Industries to supply forward passenger doors to its A320 commercial aircraft. (IANS)