Messier kicked off research into carbon brakes for both commercial and military aircraft in 1968, signaling the advent of the "carbon age".
Carbon brakes were tested and certified starting in 1971. Dassault chose Messier-Bugatti carbon brakes for its Mirage F1 in 1971, and then for the Mirage 2000 in 1979, the Falcon 900 in 1991, the Falcon 2000 in 1993 and the Rafale in 1994.
Airbus Industrie was the commercial launch customer for Messier-Bugatti carbon brakes in 1985, with the A310-300 and the A300-600. That same year, the R&D department of Messier-Bugatti and fellow Snecma company SEP (now Snecma Propulsion Solide) spun off a new business, Carbone Industrie®, which subsequently became a division of Messier-Bugatti. Based in Villeurbanne (near Lyon), this new company became the world’s leading manufacturer of carbon disks for aircraft brakes. In the meantime, Messier-Bugatti set up an American subsidiary, Messier-Bugatti USA, which produces carbon disks in a plant that is almost a “carbon copy” of the one in Villeurbanne.
Modernization
In 1991, Messier-Bugatti moved from its traditional home in Montrouge to another Paris suburb, Vélizy, across from the historic Villacoublay airfield. Production operations at the Montrouge factory, built in 1927, were transferred to Molsheim.
Messier-Bugatti and Dowty Aerospace created a new company in 1994, Messier-Dowty International, dedicated to the design and manufacture of landing gear. In 1998 this company would join the Snecma group, now Safran. Messier-Dowty is now the world’s leading manufacturer of landing gear, making systems for mainline, regional, business and military aircraft.
Starting in 1994, Messier-Bugatti focused on its core businesses of wheels and brakes, braking control systems and hydraulics, operating at three main facilities in Vélizy, Molsheim and Villeurbanne.
Messier-Bugatti brought to market a revolutionary carbon material in 1996, the Sepcarb® III carbon-carbon composite. This new product significantly reduced maintenance costs, while also improving performance and therefore safety. During its first year on the market, no less than 26 airlines opted for this revolutionary new brake for their Airbus A319 and A320 jetliners – a record!
Military aircraft have equally demanding performance requirements. In 1994, Dassault Aviation chose Messier-Bugatti to develop a multifunction computer for the new Rafale fighter, capable of controlling braking, 360 degree nosewheel steering, retraction/extension of landing gear and opening/closing of gear doors. First developed for the Rafale prototype (both land and carrier-based versions), this computer is built by Messier-Bugatti as prime contractor, in cooperation with Thales. The first shipset was delivered in December 1996.
Messier-Bugatti opened an office in Beijing in 1995, sharing premises with Airbus, to provide an excellent base for the subsequent success of its wheels and carbon brakes in the Asian market.
Today, Messier-Bugatti holds 46% of the global market for wheels and carbon brakes on mainline commercial jets (over 100 seats), and has developed a position of world leadership built on a long tradition of innovation and excellence.
The history of Messier-Bugatti is also the history of our innovations.
