LONDON (April 4, 2001) — Group Michelin has developed a new radial aircraft tire, designed to be more damage-resistant than existing aircraft tires, which will be tested on an Air France Concorde in the next few weeks.
According to the Anglo-French Concorde Working Group — the agency tasked with restoring Concorde´s certificate of airworthiness — Michelin´s new radial tire is designed to produce only small-sized debris if it bursts. Debris from a burst tire is blamed for a fuel tank explosion, which downed an Air France Concorde near Paris last July, with the loss of 113 lives.
Meanwhile, tests are continuing on protective fuel tanks linings, made from Kevlar aramid, with flight tests planned on a British Airways Concorde during the next few weeks, the working group said.