Messier-Bugatti Leads ‘More Electric Aircraft’ Project

Landing gear maker Messier-Bugatti hosted the launch meeting for the distributed and redundant electrical nose gear steering system (DRESS) project on June 26 and 27 at its corporate headquarters in Vélizy-Villacoublay, near Paris. Chosen by the European Commission as part of the sixth framework research and development program, the DRESS project counts as members Messier-Bugatti, Messier-Dowty, Airbus UK, Saab, five European universities and several research organizations. The endeavor falls within the scope of research into more electric aircraft, as well as airport automatic navigation. The electrical nose gear steering system will support future automatic runway navigation systems on aircraft, ensuring smoother ground traffic flows, avoiding runway incursions and allowing the airplane to safely taxi even in heavy fog.