Héroux-Devtek Spain has developed autonomous motorized mobile crane equipment (CME) for the Airbus Defense and Space A400M long-range turboprop military transport aircraft. After successful qualification, series production has now started and the CME is being installed in the A400M on the final assembly line in Seville.
The CME, with its single-rail system, is designed for independent loading and unloading of the A400M. Weights of up to five tons can be lifted and transported from the cargo hold to the apron (or vice versa). We control the CME with its remote control, which is connected to the interface of a panel in the rear cargo hold of the aircraft.
Die Gesamtlebensdauer ist mit rund 10.000 Wickel- und Ausfahrzyklen mit einem Hub von zwei Metern angegeben. Das Einsatzspektrum deckt Temperaturen zwischen -40ºC und 70ºC ab. Der große Bereich an Arbeitsgeschwindigkeiten gewährleistet Servicezyklen von weniger als 30 Minuten.
A dedicated power supply unit adapts the electrical energy supplied by the aircraft engines to the CME's electronic control unit and its sensors. During operation, the crane is secured to the rail via a double locking device, preventing its displacement during flight maneuvers or any emergency scenarios. In the event of a power failure, two mechanical emergency cylinders ensure that the charging process is completed. The Load Master receives an overview of the loading process from an LCD display that shows, among other things, the weight of the load and the accumulated work cycles.
Héroux-Devtek Spain has already sent the first seven units to the A400M final assembly line in Seville. A total of 121 aircraft are to be equipped with the CME. A total of 174 A400Ms have been ordered, of which around 90 machines have already been delivered. Therefore, some of the machines delivered have to be retrofitted.
Gerhard Heiming
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