Mubadala Aerospace is positioning itself as a tier-one supplier of large composite structures to Airbus or Boeing for future single-aisle aircraft as part of its continuing drive to become a top player in the global aerospace industry. “We’re looking at a stake of up to 20 percent in the composites content of any new aircraft,” executive director, aerospace unit, Homaid Al Shemmari, said yesterday.
Al Shemmari has also revealed the company intends to build a “business jet-sized aircraft,” with a 2018 target date. “We will design, manufacture and support this aircraft,” he told AIN. The move follows Mubadala’s purchase of a 35-percent stake in Piaggio in 2006. The Italian manufacturer is a specialist in composites and will, said Al Shemmari, be a major contributor to the design of the new aircraft.
The moves are all part of Mubadala’s drive to create a “high technology, knowledge-intensive” aerospace industry for Abu Dhabi, reflecting the government’s desire for the country to cement its industrial future by diversifying into high-value industries through partnerships with international aerospace companies.
