Press archive detail

Munich, November 7, 2016 – With effect from the beginning of November, Gerhard Bähr has been appointed Director of MTU Aero Engines AG’s Erding engine maintenance facility. Over the past eight years, Bähr held the position of Director with responsibility for the TP400-D6 and Tyne – the military engines powering the A400M and Transall airlifters, respectively - at MTU’s headquarters in Munich. He succeeds Josef Arlt, who has decided to leave the company.

Bähr is an aviation engineer with almost 30 years of experience gained working in various areas at Germany’s leading engine manufacturer. Over the course of his professional career, he has held a succession of managerial positions at MTU. Thus, for instance, he had filled roles in testing, development and production and served a secondment to the U.S. before he took on engine program management responsibilities.

Over the past few years, the company has continuously further developed its maintenance facility in Erding, located to the east of Munich. This is where today the engines powering the German Armed Forces’ Tornado (RB199) fighter aircraft, Tiger helicopters (MTR390) and Eurofighter combat jets (EJ200) are assembled and repaired on the premises of the local air base. “The reason why MTU decided in favor of Erding as the place to pull together all of its military engine activities was that a lot of expertise was there, and so was the necessary space,” comments Herbert Neumeier, Senior Vice President, Maintenance, Assembly and Production Service. “With Gerhard Bähr, a seasoned manager who is thoroughly familiar with the defense business is heading up the facility.”

MTU operates two production shops for maintenance and supporting logistics with an area  of 10,000 square meters at the Erding air base. For well over a decade now, MTU Aero En-gines and the Federal Armed Forces have jointly maintained military propulsion systems: Since 2002, repair work on the EJ200 engines has been performed as part of a collaboration under industrial leadership—a completely new concept at the time. MTU was the first company ever to set up and operate a civilian-run repair line inside a German military installation. Today, 120 MTU employees and 15 soldiers work shoulder to shoulder in Erding, continuing to perform the maintenance work previously carried out by former German Air Force Maintenance Group 15.

About MTU Aero Engines
MTU Aero Engines AG is Germany's leading engine manufacturer. The company is a technological leader in low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, turbine center frames as well as manufacturing processes and repair techniques. In the commercial OEM business, the company plays a key role in the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-tech components together with international partners. Some 30 percent of today’s active aircraft in service worldwide have MTU components on board. In the commercial maintenance sector the company ranks among the top 5 service providers for commercial aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines. The activities are combined under the roof of MTU Maintenance. In the military arena, MTU Aero Engines is Germany's industrial lead company for practically all engines operated by the country's military. MTU operates a network of locations around the globe; Munich is home to its corporate headquarters. In fiscal 2015, the company had a workforce of some 9,000 employees and posted consolidated sales of approximately 4.4 billion euros