Airbus A350 nose landing gear is a symbol of over 20 years of partnership

12 October 2025

Smooth, precise and with perfect timing: Modern landing gear works just like an eagle about to land. For the first time, Starrag presented a fully assembled nose landing gear of the Airbus A350 at the recent EMO 2025 show: A symbol of a close partnership with Liebherr-Aerospace that has lasted over 20 years.

It all began in 2004 in Lindenberg, Bavaria, with a single Droop+Rein FOGS machine. It has developed into one of the most productive partnerships in the field of landing gear production. Starrag exhibited a fully assembled nose landing gear for the Airbus A350 – manufactured by Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH and machined on a Droop+Rein machining centre from Bielefeld.

A landing gear partnership of equals

The partnership represents the shared journey of two world market leaders – one at the system level, the other in mechanical engineering. It is a partnership of equals based on technical understanding, long-term thinking and a global perspective. "The trust that Liebherr-Aerospace has placed in us for two decades is both an obligation and an incentive for us," emphasises Heiko Quack, Director Sales Large Projects. "Together, we have developed processes that are considered a global benchmark – especially when it comes to safety-critical components."

For over 20 years, the two companies have been working closely together to produce one of the most demanding components in the aviation industry efficiently, reliably and with maximum vertical integration – the aircraft landing gear. Starrag supplies the machining technology, Liebherr the system solution.

Liebherr-Aerospace operates one of the most modern landing gear production sites in Europe at its Lindenberg site. Four Droop+Rein FOGS machining centres are combined. This is supplemented by robot-supported tool systems, laser measurement and integrated automation. The decision to purchase the first Droop+Rein FOGS machine was made back in 2004 because its concept – originally developed for tool and mould making – was ideally suited to the complex outer contours and tolerance requirements of landing gear parts.
The philosophy: As many work steps as possible in one clamping operation.

Nose landing gear

The nose landing gear is smaller than the main landing gear but plays a key role. It enables directional changes when taxiing, absorbs high impact forces when touching down and functions under all climatic conditions. The system was redesigned for the A350-1000 long version with a take-off weight of 308 tons. Liebherr was able to draw on its decades of experience to do so.

These kinds of sophisticated systems are no longer solely produced in-house, but in a global production network. In addition to the four Droop+Rein machines in Lindenberg, nine more machines were installed in Europe and Asia. This was made possible by the close technological cooperation with Starrag. The Bielefeld-produced machines not only provide the necessary precision, but also the basis for a globally standardised production approach – tailored to the requirements of safety-critical components and their high repeatability accuracy.

Reliability right from the start

"Since the first machine installations, we have been working with a contractually guaranteed availability of over 95%," highlights Heiko Quack, Director Sales Large Projects. "This reliability is an important prerequisite for stable series production processes and therefore for ensuring the trust of our partners." This also applies to the machining centres installed at the very beginning – they are still in use today and continue to achieve this high level of availability.