Liebherr Delivers First Nose Landing Gear for Airbus A350F Freighter Aircraft

• Liebherr-Aerospace delivers first nose landing gear for Airbus A350F, marking a key step in the freighter’s development.
• An integrated sensor in the nose gear enables Airbus’ tail tipping warning system during cargo loading.
• The A350F design adapts the A350 platform for freight operations, including rear cargo door and revised loading dynamics.

Liebherr-Aerospace has delivered the first nose landing gear for the Airbus A350F, marking a programme milestone as the freighter aircraft progresses toward entry into service. The delivery extends a supplier relationship that has seen Liebherr involved in key systems on the A350 platform since its inception.

The A350F, designed for long-haul cargo operations, introduces structural and operational changes compared with the passenger A350. Loading through the rear cargo door introduces a tail-tipping risk. With the main cargo door positioned aft of the wing and landing gear, incorrect weight distribution during loading can lead to the aircraft tipping backwards.

To address this, Airbus has developed a tipping warning system that calculates the aircraft’s ground balance using load data from the nose landing gear.

Because the nose gear reflects forward load distribution during loading, it becomes a reference point in determining whether the aircraft remains stable. 

Liebherr provides the pressure sensing input used to determine the load at the nose landing gear. 

The company has introduced an electronic pressure sensor integrated into the switching valve, which monitors shock absorber pressure to derive this load. 

For a large freighter, accurate real-time load sensing at the nose landing gear is required to support safe loading operations, particularly at airports where turnaround times are tight and cargo configurations vary.

Liebherr’s involvement in the A350 programme extends beyond the landing gear. The company supplies systems across the aircraft family, including the active differential gearbox for flaps, the slat actuation system, and components such as struts, actuators, valves and damping systems. Development, certification and production of the A350F nose landing gear have been carried out at the company’s Lindenberg facility in Germany. 

This milestone reflects how suppliers are adapting existing platforms for freighter use. While the Airbus A350F shares its baseline with the passenger A350, modifications to structure, onboard systems and loading architecture require adjustments across multiple subsystems, including the landing gear.

The A350F programme continues to move through development and certification.

Also Read: Embraer’s First E-Freighter Enters Commercial Service with Bridges Air Cargo