The Airframe ITD aims at re-thinking and developing the technologies as building blocks and the “solution space” on the level of the entire or holistic aircraft: pushing aerodynamics across new frontiers, combining and integrating new materials and structural techniques – and integrating innovative new controls and propulsion architectures with the airframe; and optimizing this against the challenges of weight, cost, life-cycle impact and durability.

The aerodynamic configuration definition of the NGCTR needs to be confirmed by a large scale powered wind tunnel experiment, with the aim to verify and confirm the key choices of the configuration and to provide guidelines and proposals for potential additional improvement to be implemented. Within the EU 6th framework programme NICETRIP a 1/5th scale full-span, powered wind tunnel model has been designed and manufactured by NLR and tested in DNW-LLF and ONERA S1, with support of DLR. In order to fully exploit the FP6 research program, NEXTTRIP is a 30 month- 2.77 MEuro valued project based on re-using the existing NICETRIP powered model and key-partners responsible for the successful execution of the NICETRIP low speed test. The NEXTTRIP partners, NLR, DNW, DLR, Hit09 & Fokker will work together to modify the NICETRIP model, perform the wind tunnel test in DNW-LLF and define an optimal Empennage configuration based on the wind tunnel test results and given boundaries. NLR will coordinate the NEXTTRIP project

The Systems ITD will develop and build highly integrated, high TRL demonstrators in major areas such as power management, cockpit, wing, landing gear, to address the needs of future generation aircraft in terms of maturation, demonstration and Innovation.

Main objective for the Clean Sky 2 Large Passenger Aircraft Programme (LPA) is to further mature and validate key technologies such as advanced wings and empennages design, making use of hybrid laminar airflow wing developments, the integration of most advanced engines into the large passenger aicraft aircraft design as well as an all-new next generation fuselage cabin and cockpit-navigation. Dedicated demonstrators are dealing with Research on best opportunities to combine radical propulsion concepts, and the opportunities to use scalled flight testing for the maturation and validation of these concepts via scaled flight testing. Components of Hybrid electric propulsion concepts are developed and tested in a major ground based test rig. The LPA program is also contributing with a major workpackage to the E-Fan X program. The R&T activities in the LPA program is split in 21 so-called demonstrators. In the project period 2020 and 2021 a substantial number of hardware items ground and flight test items will b

The manufacturing of large-scale parts needs the implementation of a holistic data management and integrated automation methodology to achieve the desired levels of precision using modular and more flexible equipment. Large-part manufacturing is characterized by the high customization required (built-customer specific). Also, manufacturing of complex large-scale parts involves a variety of subassemblies that must be manufactured and assembled. This high degree of personalization implies a great effort in the design and the posterior verification after manufacturing, to achieve high precision. On the other hand, this customised product-centric design requires an optimisation of the resources of the workshop –i.e. workers, machines, devices— for a responsive, reconfigurable and modular production, targeting the execution of key labour-intensive tasks by preserving industry-specific workers’ knowledge and skills (worker-centric approach). PENELOPE proposes a novel methodology linking product-centric data management and production planning and scheduling in a closed-loop digital pipeline for ensuring an accurate and precise manufacturability from the initial product design. PENELOPE is built over five pillars for developing a common methodology and vision deployed in four industrial-driven pilot lines in strategic manufacturing sectors (Oil&Gas, Shipbuilding, Aeronautics and Bus&Coach) and with potential replicability to other sectors. Moreover, it will be set a pan-European network of Didactic Factories and showrooms, providing training and upskilling capabilities enabling the workforce transition towards Industry 4.0 and general-purpose testbeds for assisting in the industry adoption. PENELOPE envision to highly-increase EU manufacturing sector competitiveness by increasing production performance, quality and accuracy while ensuring workers’ safety and resource efficiency.