Aircraft

Airbus has signed a letter of intent with a US division of UK firm Hampson Industries covering the supply of wing and fuselage curing tools for the A350 XWB programme.

The agreement has been reached with California-based Coast Composites, which specialises in creating tooling systems for composite airframe structures.

Coast Composites is involved with several civil and military aircraft programmes including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787.

Hampson Industries values the agreement detailed in the letter of intent at more than $23 million, adding that the deal covers only the first set of tools, for which delivery will start in the current financial year.

It expects to derive another $60 million from further deliveries of tools over the next four years.