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Sharklets at the tip of wings helps airflow.
Airbus file photo |
Nikkiso Vietnam Co. of Hanoi will make composite vertical bars and armor plates of winglets for A320 aircraft as a subcontractor for Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), which has been an Airbus supplier since 1998. KAL-ASD has been the sole supplier of winglets, which Airbus calls Sharklets, since 2010. Nikkiso Vietnam is a 100 percent Japanese invested manufacturing company. Production will begin before the end of the year. Winglets are designed to help save fuel by reducing drag and improving air flow at the end of aircraft wings. (Sources: multiple, including
SGGP,
tuoitrenews,
Vietnam Briefing, 04/24/14) In February KAL-ASD delivered its 1,000th winglet built at its Busan plant (Source:
Airbus, 02/18/14).
Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala.
