Mubadala Aerospace has signed another licensing deal with a major aviation manufacturer to help realise Abu Dhabi's ambitions of becoming a major player in aeroplane maintenance.
The group, a unit of Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi Government, has signed a "wide-ranging strategic agreement" with Hamilton Sundstrand of the US, which makes components such as flight controls, auxiliary power systems and fire-suppression units.
The agreement allows Mubadala subsidiaries such as Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (Adat) and SR Technics to undertake lucrative component repair work on Boeing 787 aircraft.
It follows similar high-profile licensing deals between Mubadala Aerospace and other components makers such as Goodrich and Honeywell.
Aerospace manufacture, repair and training is a key plank in the development company's plans to diversify the Abu Dhabi economy, and it has injected vast sums into new ventures over the past four years.
Homaid Al Shemmari, the executive director of Mubadala Aerospace, said he was "delighted" with the agreement.
"Hamilton Sundstrand is one of the largest players in the aerospace components industry, and shares our global ambitions," he said. "We are excited about the overall opportunities this relationship brings to both parties."
Hamilton Sundstrand is a unit of United Technologies, which has other partnerships with Mubadala through its Sikorsky helicopter subsidiary. The 787 is Boeing's newest aircraft and is expected to enter service this year with ANA of Japan after an eight-year development programme.
Other licensing deals with Honeywell and Goodrich also authorise Adat and SR Technics to perform component repair work on the Boeing 787 as well as the Airbus A350, another new programme expected to be produced over the next 20 to 30 years. Honeywell produces electronic guidance systems and propulsion systems while Goodrich is a maker of landing gear and emergency escape chutes.
Mubadala announced last week it had reached a milestone with its manufacturing subsidiary, Strata of Al Ain.
The aerospace manufacturer shipped its first consignment of advanced carbon-fibre composite aileron panels to Airbus for the A330 and A340 aircraft, it said.
Ross Bradley, the chief executive of Strata, said the company was beginning to make a name for itself after its delivery came "on-time, on budget and obviously as per the customer quality requirements".
Strata hopes to become a "Tier 1" supplier to Airbus by the middle of next year as the sole supplier of the A330 and A340 aileron panels.
"It is sustainable businesses such as Strata that are helping to deliver opportunities for skilled UAE nationals, which is at the heart of Mubadala's mission," Mr Al Shemmari said.
As part of this, Strata will recruit UAE nationals for various roles across the technical, engineering and managerial fields.
