Airbus has selected Curtiss-Wright Corp. to provide custom electric actuation technology for the Main Deck Cargo Door on the future Airbus A350F freighter aircraft. The A350F will be the first widebody freighter aircraft built with a majority of composite materials.

Under the contract, Curtiss-Wright will provide Airbus with an electro-mechanical actuation solution that features rotary and linear actuators, alongside control and power electronics, to open, close, latch and lock the A350F’s Main Deck Cargo Door. Curtiss-Wright’s actuation solution includes a high-voltage DC architecture that minimizes weight, offers improved reliability over legacy systems, and incorporates health monitoring functions.

Curtiss-Wright Corp. CEO Lynn Bamford said this contract “represents our first electromechanical actuation contract award with Airbus and further expands the breadth of our leading-edge technologies to the commercial aerospace industry.”

The A350F is expected to be the only freighter aircraft capable of meeting the latest ICAO CO2 emissions requirements that come into effect in 2027.