Direct from Toulouse, the A380 Airbus arrived at the Paris Air Show on Sunday, where it will certainly be the star of the show. Just over a month after its maiden flight, which was watched live by thousands of people on April 27, the Airbus super jumbo has already completed over twenty test flights (ranging from 3 to 7 hours). The aircraft will attract an even bigger public following during this 46 th Air Show, with its first demonstration flight scheduled for Monday June 13, in the presence of President Jacques Chirac.
With a span of 80 metres, a length of 73 metres and a maximum take off weight of 560 tonnes, the A380 is the biggest civil aircraft the world has ever seen. It also represents a tremendous technological adventure in which the companies in the three branches of the SAFRAN Group, present today at Le Bourget, participate.
In the Aerospace Propulsion branch, Snecma and Techspace Aero are involved in the GP7200 engine from the Engine Alliance (an equal joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney).
 In the Aerospace Equipment branch, Hispano-Suiza contributes to the GP7200 FADEC, or full authority digital engine control. Aircelle is making the nacelles for both engines being offered on the A380, not only the GP7200, but also the Rolls-Royce Trent 900, the engines used for this first test flight. Messier-Dowty supplies the nose landing gear, while Messier-Bugatti is responsible for a number of braking and hydraulic system components. Labinal supplies most of the electrical wiring, as well as engineering services such as design and specifications. Sofrance provides filtration components for the hydraulic systems and engines, and Technofan is producing various ventilation systems and equipment.
For its part, the Defense and Security branch is contributing its expertise in avionics to the latest Airbus jetliner. Its contributions include the secondary fly-by-wire flight control system, various flight control sensors and components, and above all the A380's onboard information system, a huge, secure computer network.  SAFRAN's role on the AIRBUS A380 (Adobe Acrobat)
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