Airbus' long-range A350 aircraft and the Northrop Grumman KC-30 Advanced Tanker came another step closer to reality in Mobile, AL, as construction of Airbus North America's engineering center began.

During a groundbreaking ceremony at the Brookley Field complex in Mobile,Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America Holdings acknowledged the significance of the Mobile facility to Airbus' overall growth in the US.

The engineering center, scheduled to open in January 2007 and slated to employ at least 150 engineers at full capacity, will be responsible initially for assignments related to Airbus' new A350 aircraft, including the design of cabin interiors, crew rest compartments, lavatories, and galleys. It also is the first step in a potentially larger-scale industrial site to be built should the Northrop Grumman KC-30 Advanced Tanker cargo aircraft team receive an order to modernize the US Air Force's aerial refueling tanker fleet.

Airbus is jointly owned by EADS and BAE Systems.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by several state and local officials and dignitaries, who all noted the importance of the engineering center to the US, Alabama, and Mobile.

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