Goodrich Ships First Thrust Reverser for Airbus A350 XWB Engine Ground Testing

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodrich Corporation (NYSE: GR) has delivered its first thrust reversers for the Airbus A350 XWB twinjet. The thrust reversers will be installed on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine to be used in the engine ground test program, which is scheduled to begin later this year.  

Goodrich shipped the thrust reversers on November 5 from its Aerostructures facility in Chula Vista, Calif., which was also the site of final assembly. The reversers will first be sent to the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, England for initial testing before ultimately being shipped to a Rolls-Royce ground testing site located at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Airbus awarded Goodrich the contract to be the exclusive provider of the nacelles and thrust reversers for the A350 XWB in 2005. The contract is valued at $6 billion over 20 years, including original equipment and aftermarket revenues.

Several additional Goodrich sites across the U.S. and around the world contribute content to the nacelles and thrust reversers. Design for the entire nacelle system was managed at Goodrich Aerostructures' headquarters in Chula Vista, which will continue to perform final assembly of initial units; Aerostructures' Riverside, Calif. facility will produce the fan cowls, inner fixed structure and translating sleeve; and the exhaust systems are being built in Aerostructures' San Marcos, Tex. facility. Additionally, Goodrich Actuation Systems business, working in concert with Goodrich Engine Controls and Electrical Power Systems, will deliver actuation systems for the thrust reverser and the power door opening system. In all, Goodrich will deliver four nacelles and thrust reversers for the ground test program, one for the flying test bed and another 10 for the flight test program, plus two spare units. The thrust reverser actuation system will be the first electric one designed and built by Goodrich.

"We went from engineering release to shipping hardware for this innovative nacelle system within 12 months. That's a remarkable achievement and a testament to the entire team that's working on this nacelle system, which is the largest one in Aerostructures' 70-year history," said Tom Donnelly, vice president of Airbus Programs for Goodrich's Aerostructures business. "The shipment also represents how closely we've worked with Airbus and Rolls-Royce on this program. Only by managing the nacelle system in a truly tripartite manner could we have come this far this quickly."

Goodrich will support the A350 XWB engine ground testing which will be conducted at three facilities in the U.S., England and Canada. An Airbus flight test A380 will serve as the flying testbed for the Trent XWB engine, which is capable of delivering up to 84,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.

A high-resolution image of the first A350 XWB thrust reverser is available at http://goodrich.onlineimagelibrary.com/.

In addition to nacelles and thrust reversers, Goodrich content on the A350 XWB also includes the wheels and carbon brakes, air data system and ice detection system, external video system and cabin attendant seats.

Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier of systems and services to aerospace, defense and homeland security markets.  With one of the most strategically diversified portfolios of products in the industry, Goodrich serves a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities.  For more information visit http://www.goodrich.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the company's future plans, objectives, and expected performance. Specifically, statements that are not historical facts, including statements accompanied by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," or "plan," are intended to identify forward-looking statements and convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. The company cautions readers that any such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that the company believes are reasonable, but are subject to a wide range of risks, and actual results may differ materially.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: demand for and market acceptance of the Airbus A350 aircraft; potential cancellation of A350 orders by customers; the willingness of Airbus to extend its contract with the company relating to the A350 nacelle system beyond the initial contract period; and global demand for A350 spare parts and aftermarket services. Further information regarding the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results can be found in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2010.

The company cautions you not to place undue reliance on the forward- looking statements contained in this release, which speak only as of the date on which such statements were made. The company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statements were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Goodrich Corporation operates through its divisions and as a parent company for its subsidiaries, one or more of which may be referred to as "Goodrich Corporation" in this press release.

SOURCE Goodrich Corporation