Airbus has announced its selection of Messier-Bugatti (a SAFRAN Group company) to design, develop and manufacture the wheels and carbon brakes for its new A350XWB long-haul commercial jet.

The brakes are based on Sepcarb®III OR carbon disks, the benchmark in today's market, offering the lowest wear and best friction performance in the world. Messier-Bugatti will also supply the two nose wheels and eight main wheels for the different versions of this aircraft. The wheels and brakes for the A350XWB will be "eco-designed" and "eco-produced", in particular using hydro-soluble paints and completely eliminating chrome.

Messier-Bugatti will call on its state-of-the-art technologies to meet the economic, performance, reliability and environmental requirements of the new A350XWB.

Messier-Bugatti was already selected in February 2008 to provide all landing and braking control systems for this new family: braking, steering, landing gear extension/retraction and wheel, brake and landing gear monitoring.

With this latest contract, along with that won by Messier-Dowty for the landing gear, the A350XWB will generate total sales for SAFRAN of approximately $11 billion.