Pierre Hurpin has become the Technical Director of Nexcelle, the nacelle systems joint venture of GE’s Middle River Aircraft Systems and the Safran group’s Aircelle.

In this role, he oversees Nexcelle’s full range of technical aspects in developing and producing nacelle systems for a new generation of integrated propulsion systems that equip commercial airliners and business jets.

Hurpin has spent his entire professional career within the Safran group, most recently as Vice President for Engineering Design & Analysis at its Messier-Bugatti-Dowty business unit in France, with management responsibility for more than 200 engineers and designers. This activity covered development and certification of new landing gear for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 jetliners as well as Airbus’ A400M airlifter, along with technical support for in-service landing gears on aircraft and helicopters produced by Airbus, Dassault, Eurocopter, Bombardier and other manufacturers.

Previous assignments included the Vice President of Engineering at Messier-Bugatti-Dowty’s operations in Canada and France, managing landing gear development for the Airbus A380, Dassault Falcon 7X, Sukhoi SJ100, Boeing 787 jetliners and the Bell-Boeing V22 tilt-rotor, plus in-service technical support for landing gear on a variety of jetliners, business jets and helicopters.

From 1986 to 2002, Hurpin held a variety of program chief engineer and design office positions at Safran’s Snecma propulsion business unit at locations in France and the U.S. He worked on programs that included the company’s M88 fighter aircraft powerplant; and for Snecma’s participation in the General Electric CF6-80E1 and GE90 commercial jet engines, CFM International’s CFM56 family, and the Engine Alliance GP7000.

Hurpin has a mechanical engineering degree from France’s Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Arts et Metiers, and an aeronautical engineering degree from the Ecole Speciale des Travaux Aeronautiques,

In his role as Nexcelle’s Technical Director, he is located at the company’s offices in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nexcelle was created in 2008 and has been selected to supply the nacelle systems for two major engine programs: the CFM International LEAP-X1C integrated propulsion system on COMAC’s C919 airliner, and the GE Passport 20 engine for Bombardier’s Global 7000 and 8000 business jet aircraft.

About Nexcelle ( www.nexcelle.com )

Nexcelle is creating smart nacelle systems for tomorrow’s world travel. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, the company is a 50/50 joint venture of Aircelle and Middle River Aircraft Systems (MRAS), which are leading suppliers of engine nacelles, thrust reversers and aerostructures. Through Nexcelle’s relationship with CFM International, GE Aviation and Safran, the company brings unparalleled expertise in the design, development, production and support of integrated propulsion systems for a wide range of aircraft.