Landing gear components are among the most heavily stressed parts of an aircraft, even though they are hardly noticeable compared to the engine or wings. Their job is to safely support the full weight of the aircraft, including passengers, luggage, and fuel, when it touches down. On every landing, in any weather, and on any surface. The requirements in terms of material, geometry and production quality were high from the outset: over 80% of parts requiring machine cutting, complex component geometries, machining strategies with μm tolerances, supplemented by process-reliable automation. This is also reflected in the production process. New landing gears are made of high-strength titanium or steel alloys. In the future, stainless steel alloys could also be introduced, and Liebherr is ideally prepared for their demanding machining properties with its powerful and stable Droop+Rein machines. Production takes place in up to 40 steps, and comprises complex external contours, multiple drill holes with close tolerances, and heat treatment.

A special feature is the design of the landing gear. “As soon as a machining feature protrudes from the cylinder housing, it is no longer possible to rotate in on a turning machine – it has to be milled”, explained Lee Scott, Director Sales and Applications for Starrag UK. “And it’s almost like mold construction: complex external contours, tight tolerances, lots of drill holes – all in one clamping operation.”

This close co-operation takes place on an equal footing – not least because Starrag is regarded as the world’s leading machine supplier in the field of landing gear manufacturing. Today, around 60 Droop+Rein machining centers are being used for this task. Around one in seven of them work directly or indirectly in the Liebherr-Aerospace production network. Quack emphasizes: “We are the manufacturer of choice in this market segment, not only because of the technology, but also because of our reliable, global partnership and position in this demanding segment.”

Starrag will be putting the spotlight on the resulting product for the first time at EMO 2025: a fully assembled nose landing gear (NLG) for the Airbus A350, manufactured at Liebherr-Aerospace in Lindenberg. This component not only features eye-catching technology, it is also the largest landing gear Liebherr has developed until now. Since the Airbus A350- 900 entered service in 2016, Liebherr has supplied the system for all A350 variants. The nose landing gear of the Airbus A350-1000, which completed its maiden flight on 24 November 2016, has been redesigned – partly due to the higher maximum take-off weight of 308 tonnes. Liebherr was able to contribute its highly specific experience gained from the A350-900 program.

In addition to the nose landing gear, Liebherr-Aerospace also supplies other systems for the Airbus A350, such as components for controlling slats and landing flaps, load measurement and damping. Support covers the entire life cycle from development to maintenance.

The housing of the landing gear on display is produced on a Droop+Rein FOGS machine in Lindenberg. Unlike the much larger main landing gear, the nose landing gear accounts for only a small proportion of the aircraft’s weight but is just as critical to safety. It is subjected to heavy loads during take-off and landing and must be able to absorb extreme shocks and cope with changes of direction. A high-precision landing gear, such as that exhibited, therefore not only ensures safe operation, but also reduces maintenance costs over the life cycle.

The A350 landing gear, exhibited for the first time, completes the circle: what began symbolically in Liebherr’s YouTube clip – the flight and precision landing of an eagle – can be experienced in technical form at EMO 2025. Because although nature still designs the best landing gear, technology is getting amazingly close.