Airbus has finished assembling a prototype eco-wing it hopes will make flying more sustainable.
The aerospace giant’s Wing of Tomorrow programme is aimed at developing future technologies that could be used to make aviation more environmentally friendly. Work on the project has been taking place at Airbus’ UK sites in Filton, near Bristol, and Broughton, in North Wales.
The international team behind the UK-led programme is developing high-performing wing tech, including the incorporation of a folding-wing tip. More than 100 different component and manufacturing technologies were used to complete the first of three fully composite wing demonstrators.
Airbus said the composite components used in the Wing of Tomorrow programme have been designed to make “the best use” of technologies - and reduce the amount of work during the assembly phase by more than 50%.
According to the company, the automation of the remaining drilling, achieving "good" tolerance control and wing shape, and the introduction of new approaches to inspection and validation, will support its ambitions to create the “most highly efficient wings of the future”.
Sabine Klauke, Airbus chief technical officer, said: “Wing of Tomorrow brings a completely different build philosophy to the way we currently assemble wings and is a crucial part of our R&T portfolio that will help us assess the industrial feasibility of wing production in the future.”
Airbus is also carrying out research into sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen propulsion. In May, the aerospace firm announced it would be launching a new research hub at its base near Bristol to develop hydrogen technologies as part of efforts to decarbonise aviation.
Earlier this month, an Airbus boss said ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine would not threaten the company's ambition to develop the world's first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035.
Head of group demonstrators Sandra Bour Schaeffer said Airbus had deployed the “right strategy” to weather the “biggest crisis” the industry had seen, with global supply chains continuing to be impacted by covid lockdowns in China and Russia’s military invasion.
Ms Bour Schaeffer said she had been “very impressed” by the progress she had seen made by aerodynamics teams working on pioneering new wing technology, which has been tested at Filton’s state of the art wind-tunnel facility.
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