Elbe Flugzeugwerke
GmbH (literally:
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
aircraft factory, commonly abbreviated as ''EFW'') is an aerospace manufacturer based in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
It was established during 1955 as ''VEB Flugzeugwerke Dresden'' (VEB). Early projects included the
licensed production Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary compon ...
of
Ilyushin Il-14
The Ilyushin Il-14 (NATO reporting name: Crate) was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950 in aviation, 1950, and entered service in 1954. The Il-14 was also manufactured in Eas ...
airliners and the development of an indigenously developed four-engine jetliner, the
Baade 152
The Baade 152 also known as Dresden 152, VL-DDR 152 or simply 152, was a post-war airliner designed and manufactured by East German aircraft company VEB Flugzeugwerke Dresden. The aircraft was named after German aeronautical engineer Brunolf Ba ...
, which was terminated during the flight-testing phase following the loss of the first prototype. Between 1961 and 1990, the majority of VEB's activities centered around support and overhaul services for
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-designed fighters and helicopters for
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
air forces, as well as the civil airliners of the
East German
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
airline
Interflug
Interflug GmbH (german: Interflug Gesellschaft für internationalen Flugverkehr m.b.H.; ) was the national airline of the German Democratic Republic from 1963 to 1990. Based in East Berlin, it operated scheduled and chartered flights to European ...
.
The company underwent drastic restructuring following the
reunification of Germany
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in 1990, quickly becoming aligned with
Deutsche Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
. EFW is currently a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
between the multinational aerospace company
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
(45%) and the
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
-based
ST Aerospace
ST Engineering Aerospace, formerly known as ST Aerospace, is the commercial aerospace entity of ST Engineering. Headquartered in Singapore, it has international offices and facilities located at aviation hubs in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Unit ...
(55%
) Since the end of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, the company has largely focused on servicing airliners and the conversion of passenger airliners into dedicated freighter and
aerial refuelling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
tanker configurations. EFW is also a supplier of Airbus, producing fiber composite sheets for aircraft interiors.
History
Background and early years
Following the
end of the Second World War in Europe, Germany was divided into
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
and
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. In the East, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
became politically dominant over the region; Soviet officials sought to obtain all possible
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
-related material in East Germany, the engineers and scientists associated with such projects were
deport
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportatio ...
ed to the Soviet Union.
[Hirschel, Prem and Madelung 2012, p. 109.] During October 1946, it was announced that all East German aerospace-related projects would be transferred to the Soviet Union, while material that could not be transferred was deliberately destroyed. Following the formation of
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
during 1949, many of the deported German scientists were allowed to return to East Germany and to practice their professions once more.
[Hirschel, Prem and Madelung 2012, pp. 109-110.]
During 1955, the company was founded under the name ''VEB Flugzeugwerke Dresden'' and established its base in the German city of Dresden. The revival of the East German aerospace industry had occurred at a faster rate than that of neighboring West Germany.
[Hirschel, Prem and Madelung 2012, pp. 357-358.] VEB was not the first effort to establish new aeronautical facilities in East Germany; however, following a popular uprising during 1953, officials chose to publicly renounce military aviation ambitions in favor of civil aircraft.
VEB was initially engaged in the manufacture of
Ilyushin Il-14
The Ilyushin Il-14 (NATO reporting name: Crate) was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950 in aviation, 1950, and entered service in 1954. The Il-14 was also manufactured in Eas ...
airliners, which were
built under license. Additionally, VEB also embarked on the development of an indigenously developed four-engine jetliner, known as the
Baade 152
The Baade 152 also known as Dresden 152, VL-DDR 152 or simply 152, was a post-war airliner designed and manufactured by East German aircraft company VEB Flugzeugwerke Dresden. The aircraft was named after German aeronautical engineer Brunolf Ba ...
, which was intended to be the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
's (GDR) first passenger jet. The company had intended to develop the 152 as a commercial endeavor; an assembly line capable of producing up to 18 aircraft per year was to be established in Dresden to manufacture the type. As envisioned, the 152 would have been developed initially as a 57-seater airliner, plans were made to accommodate alternative seating layouts, such as a high-capacity 72-passenger configuration or a more spacious 42-passenger arrangement.
At one point, up to 8,000 personnel were employed on this program, along with an additional 25,000 jobs across numerous other companies involved in the
supply chain
In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, acti ...
; these were bundled in a combined
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Publicly Owned Enterprise (german: Volkseigener Betrieb; abbreviated VEB) was the main legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany. They were all publicly owned and were formed after Nationalisation#Germany, mass nationalisation between ...
during 1958.
[EADS EFW]
Aeronautics activities in Dresden: Know-how gained through decades
/ref>
A total of three airworthy 152 prototypes were constructed, two of which actually being flown. However, flight testing of the 152 yielded tragedy and disappointment. On 30 April 1958, the second prototype crashed during one such flight, resulting in the airliner's development being delayed. The reasons for the crash were never fully investigated and the results of the limited investigation were only made public in 1990. The loss has been attributed as having been a major setback to the 152 program and having subsequently played a factor in its termination.[Hirschel, Prem and Madelung 2012, p. 358.]
On 28 February 1961, the East German government issued an order for the dissolution of its national aeronautical industry; this decision was reportedly heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, which was then promoting its own similar-sized airliner, the Tupolev Tu-124
The Tupolev Tu-124 (NATO reporting name: Cookpot) was a 56-passenger short-range twinjet airliner built in the Soviet Union. It was the first Soviet airliner powered by turbofan engines.
Design and development
Developed from the medium-range ...
; despite earlier promises, it no longer wanted to purchase any Baade 152s or provide further support towards its development. Similar curtailing of autonomous aviation-related program was carried out throughout the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
during this period.[Hirschel, Prem and Madelung 2012, pp. 109, 359-360.] Following the GDR's instruction to stop work on all indigenous aircraft programs, VEB underwent heavy restructuring, becoming a maintenance facility for both MiG combat aircraft and Mil helicopters
Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (russian: Московский вертолётный завод им. М.Л. Миля) is a Soviet, and later a Russian designer and producer of helicopters headquartered in Tomilino. It is a subsidiary of Russian Heli ...
of various Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
air forces. Following the delivery of East German airline Interflug
Interflug GmbH (german: Interflug Gesellschaft für internationalen Flugverkehr m.b.H.; ) was the national airline of the German Democratic Republic from 1963 to 1990. Based in East Berlin, it operated scheduled and chartered flights to European ...
's Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers.
Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wide-bod ...
jetliners in 1989, VEB undertook servicing and overhaul work for the fleet.
Post-Cold War activities
Following the reunification of Germany
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in 1990, VEB quickly became heavily supported by Deutsche Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
, based in Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. On 27 April 1990, Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) was founded by DASA
''Dasa'' ( sa, दास, Dāsa) is a Sanskrit word found in ancient Indian texts such as the ''Rigveda'' and ''Arthasastra''. It usually means "enemy" or "servant" but ''dasa'', or ''das'', also means a "servant of God", "devotee," "votary" or "o ...
and Airbus. After the merger
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
of DASA, Aérospatiale-Matra
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
and Construcciones Aeronáuticas
Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) was a Spanish aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1923 and began manufacturing aircraft the following year. In 1999 it became a subsidiary of the EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) ...
to form EADS
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
in 2000, the new entity became EFW's sole owner.
Since 1993, EFW has been a supplier of fiber-reinforced furnishing components, which have been commonly used throughout Airbus' airliners. It reportedly has a capacity to manufacture up to 200,000 sandwich components per year. During 1996, the company started converting passenger aircraft into freighters. Early on, it converted Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus.
In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner.
West G ...
and Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers.
Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wide-bod ...
airliners, a process which takes about four months to complete, which includes higher Aircraft maintenance checks
Aircraft maintenance checks are periodic inspections that have to be done on all commercial and civil aircraft after a certain amount of time or usage. Military aircraft normally follow specific maintenance programmes which may, or may not, be simi ...
. EFW has also undertaken the conversion of Airbus A310 MRTT
The Airbus A310 MRTT Multi-Role Tanker Transport is a military Aerial refuelling, air-to-air refuelling, or in-flight refuelling tanker transport aircraft, capable of operating :wikt:multirole, multi-role missions. The A310 MRTT tanker aircraf ...
and Airbus A330 MRTT
The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refuelling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 16 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 68 aircraft, of which 51 ha ...
aerial refuelling tanker aircraft. At one stage, the firm was designated to deliver the first four prototype Northrop Grumman KC-45
The EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45 was a proposed aerial refueling tanker aircraft based on the Airbus A330 MRTT. The United States Air Force (USAF) had ordered 179 KC-45As in the first stage of replacing the aging Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker tanke ...
tanker planes (without military tanker equipment).
At one point, EFW was co-proprietor of the ''Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH'' joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
, which was also based in Dresden. Ownership was divided between Airbus, the Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n government-owned United Aircraft Corporation
The PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) () is a Russian Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense corporation. With a majority stake belonging to the Russian government, it consolidates Russian private and state-owned Russian ...
and Irkut; it was established in 2007 to establish a second production line for converting freighters, which was to be based in Lukhovitsy
Lukhovitsy (russian: Лухови́цы) is a town and the administrative center of Lukhovitsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population:
History
It was first mentioned in 1594 as the settlem ...
, Russia. EFW had the largest stake of 32%, Airbus had 18% while the Russian shareholder both owned a fourth. However, during 2011, this program was terminated for financial reasons without ever having converted any aircraft.
In the 2010s, EFW's management decided that a greater proportion of the company's revenue ought to be derived from MRO activity. During 2015, EFW was approved as a full maintenance provider for the Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
, thus becoming one of the only companies able to offer overhaul, servicing, and structural improvement packages to airlines; customers have included Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
and Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
.
Due to a fall in the demand for A300-600 freighter conversions, EFW chose to migrate work to the conversion of A330-200 and A330-300 airliners to freighters. On 1 December 2017, launch customer DHL Express
DHL is an American founded, German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, which is a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. The company group delivers over 1.8 billion parcels per year. DHL ...
took delivery of the first Airbus A330 freighter conversion. During February 2018, it was announced that EFW had also launched a freighter conversion program for the Airbus A321
The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the ba ...
.
During February 2013, ST Aerospace purchased an initial 35% stake in EFW. In February 2016, ST Aerospace announced that it completed the purchase of another 20%, giving the firm an overall stake of 55%, rendering EFW a subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of ST Aero.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eads Efw
Airbus joint ventures
Manufacturing companies based in Dresden
Design bureaus
Companies of East Germany